The Solar Wind

Laura E. Collins

Copyright © 2011 by Laura E. Collins

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or organizations, or persons; living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Contents

1. Leaving Earth

2. Orionis

3. The Square

4. Helena

5. That's Life

6. The Computer

7. The Club

8. Recovery

9. The Andromeda

10. Capristine

11. The Holidays

12. A New Year

13. Kyanos

14. Reunion

15. Afflicted

16. Unexplained Energy

17. Unsettled Business

18. Investigation

19. Something's Wrong

20. Choices

21. The Target

22. Acknowledgments

23. About The Author

24. Excerpt from The Solar Flare

Chapter 1

Leaving Earth

“Are you one hundred percent sure you want to do this?” This wasn’t the first time Alexis had asked Ava this question. The two women had been friends ever since childhood and they knew each other well, but times have changed. It was not news to anyone in this age that human survival on Earth would soon come to an end but no one knew for sure when.

Several hundred years ago, a colossal meteor crashed into the Earth. “The Great Impact of 2079,” as it was known, changed the course of history. The event wiped out half of the Earth’s population in less than seventy-two hours. The aftermath in the years that followed was a steady stream of chaotic wars, famine, epidemics, and a total restructuring of society. It also marked the beginning of the movement towards space migration. The powerful meteor impact pushed the Earth out of the ellipse of its orbit. Each year the Earth spiraled further and further away from the sun, in consequence causing turmoil within the weather patterns. The surface temperature now resembles a perpetual winter. Most of the remaining civilizations have built underground cities to sustain human and animal survival. Registries were created for people to apply and wait their turn to be selected to move on to one of the few space stations now in orbit. The most advanced and largest space station, Earth II, will not be completed for at least another ten years. Once completed, it is estimated that the remainder of Earth’s population will be able to successfully migrate. After three years of waiting on the registry, it was now Ava’s turn to be evaluated for transport.

“Less than one hundred people a month on Earth are selected for transport, Alexis. Nathan and I applied together before we were married. It’s what we wanted for our future.” Ava’s voice was flat. Ava and Nathan met in college. They were immediately enamored by one another and never spent more than a few days apart. Ava pursued a career in healthcare and Nathan a career as a nuclear engineer. During graduate school they applied for migration to one of the space stations. They felt they had a good chance of being selected quickly because of their professions, which were much needed in space. A year ago Ava and Nathan married, anticipating beginning a new life together away from the dismal cold underground cities they had grown up in.

The happy couple was married for only seven months before Ava received notification that her husband had suddenly become ill with a resistant virus strain. Nathan had been working on an assignment in a distant city. Ava rushed to be with him, however she was too late. By the time she arrived, the city had been quarantined and, unfortunately, Nathan had succumbed to the illness only minutes before she arrived. All the hospital allowed Ava to do was to identify him through a biohazard barrier and collect his sterilized personal effects before they promptly cremated him. There was no funeral, no formal farewell. There was only grief.

Nathan’s death had been a terrible shock for Ava, the sorrow that followed was difficult for her to bear. It seemed that life was never easy. In these times, death commonly touched everyone’s life on Earth. Ava did not have any known living relatives. She considered herself now alone in the world. Her parents had died from illness when she was seven years old. Her aunt, Katherine, raised her as her own daughter until she too passed away two years ago. Ava looked upon Alexis as an older sister and felt sad about the idea of leaving her and her husband, Marc, behind to pursue a new life away from Earth, but that seemed to be the best option for her now.

In order to prevent overcrowding and overuse of the limited resources on the stations, migration became strictly controlled by the Intergalactic Transport Organization, or ITO, a collaboration of the remaining governments on Earth. The sole purpose of the organization was to monitor the census of each station and select applicants for transport based on certain criteria when openings were available. The system was corrupt, biased and unjust, but the world is not what it once was. The ITO considered human survival its number one priority and it pledged to do whatever was necessary to sustain the fragile internal environments on the stations. This is the rationale they used to justify their selection process. One outbreak of a resistant virus could be detrimental to the population of the stations, therefore only the healthiest people were chosen for transport. An applicant must submit to a complete physical exam with blood tests to evaluate his or her overall health. Applicants with any type of chronic medical condition were placed further down the list, those with cancer or other terminal illnesses at the very bottom. The younger and healthier you were, the better your chance of being selected. All females of child bearing potential were required to have a small hormonal implant inserted into their arm before migration to prevent pregnancy in order to control the population on the stations. Once chosen for migration and residency established, a new resident could apply to have the implant removed to permit fertility to be restored for one child to be born, and then it would be replaced. Unauthorized births could place a family at risk for deportation back to Earth. Ava had such an implant placed prior to applying for migration to comply with the selection requirements.

Next, the ITO would consider the applicant’s profession. Applicants with a desired skill, trade, or profession were a higher priority. Criminals and those convicted of crimes were not even considered. Applicants who are actually chosen must go through a second exhaustive screening process for verification. Chosen applicants are given a small checklist of items that can be brought on to the station. Precious few personal items are allowed due to the cost of transport and limited space. The expense involved for transport was another obstacle. Some saved every credit possible for years to afford the passage fee. Ava had planned for the fee as most people did, starting at a young age. The credits left to her from her aunt’s death and from Nathan’s passing made migration possible.

Ava’s interview with the ITO went very well. Ava, a healthy twenty-five-year old woman would be an asset for Orionis, one of the older space stations in orbit. The main health care facility on the station was in need of another nurse practitioner to help assume the care of its residents. It seemed that the physician, Dr. Brennan Grant, and the other health care providers were struggling to keep up with the demand for services and requested the addition of a new provider as soon as possible. Ava hoped to be selected for one of the more modern stations; however she felt relief and excitement to finally be chosen. She wanted a fresh start and wished for the best beginning of her new life.

Alexis accompanied Ava to the ITO Migration Port. It was a long journey as there were only seven of them on Earth. Ava’s travel trunks have already been collected, inspected, and scanned for transport. Ava gave Alexis the rest of her belongings that she would leave behind. She could only stay with Ava until they reached the first security gate on the public underground observation deck. Only the few people cleared for migration could progress beyond that point. The port was alive with activity as workers scurried about. The two women were able to see the base of the starship, The Solar Wind, through the enormous glass windows. The ship’s massive size awed them; its height projected above the freezing Earth’s surface. Loaders diligently prepped the vessel for transport. Various crates were being loaded into the hull. Ships mandatorily were designed to transport people as well as building materials, resources, food, and plant life. To conserve energy and resources, ships consolidated missions as much as possible. The only thing for Ava to do next was to say good-bye to her best friend.

“I am sad to be losing you, Ava. You are like a sister to me. Promise me that you will keep in touch. I want to know everything about your life in space. You’ll keep me updated won’t you?”

“Of course I will, Alexis. Besides, you’re not losing me. It’s not like I’m going to cease to exist. I’ll message you as soon as I am settled. The clinic I’ll be working in is supposed to be swamped. I’m sure I’ll be happy there. I need to be busy; it helps to keep my mind off of other things.”

“Nathan would be so proud of you. I just wish things were different. I am worried about you being all alone up there.”

“Orionis has a good reputation for stability and safety. I’m sure things will be fine.”

“That’s not what I meant, Ava. I’m worried about you. Please make an attempt to be social. I know how sad you still are.”

“I promise I will try to be more social.” Ava smiled. “Change is what I need right now. I’d be lying to you if I told you I wasn’t nervous, however, this is a good thing for me. I believe it is. I’m not expecting it to be an easy transition, however, I’m positive that this is what I need to do. I know I can take care of myself,” Ava reassured.

The boarding announcement audibly rang out around the transport station. “All passengers please report to your debarking dock. Lift-off will commence in sixty minutes.”

“I’d better go; I still have to go through security. Thank you for everything, I’m going to miss you. Good-bye, Alexis, take care of yourself okay?” Ava said, her eyes beginning to well up with tears.

“Bye Ava, good luck and be safe. Let me know that you are all right.” Alexis could barely speak. She hastily wiped a few fallen tears back with the sleeve of her coat.

“I will.” The two women hugged each other. Ava turned and walked towards the security gate. The security check was exhaustive; however things seemed to flow seamlessly. Once cleared, Ava was assigned a seat on the ship and directed to the boarding dock. There were twelve people waiting in line to board the Solar Wind. Ava noticed a family of four with small children, two sets of young married couples, and two men. One in his early twenties, and one who appeared to be his early forties. There was also one other young woman waiting in line. She had a petite stature, sandy blonde hair, and looked to be about twenty-four years old.

Due to the size of the ship, the voyage to Orionis would take seventeen hours at light speed. Smaller vessels had the ability to travel faster at absolute velocity. The station itself was located half-way in between Mars and Earth. The internal temperature of the station was expected to be warmer than the temperature on Earth because its location closer to the sun. Ava had seen pictures of the station on the internet. Orionis resembles the appearance of an atom, with a central core, or nucleus, which comprises the station itself, and several massive rings that crisscross around it in space to act as gravity stabilizers, a common feature of the older stations. Its longevity, prime location as a transportation hub, low crime rate, and strict government gave it a good reputation; at least this is what Ava has read.

The seats were arranged in pairs and Ava felt relieved to see that she was assigned to sit next to the young blonde woman she had seen in line. She dreaded the awkward feeling of sitting next to one of the single men for such a long trip. Nathan’s death was a wound still fresh to her and she had no interest in forming a relationship with anyone of the opposite sex right now.

There were no windows to the outside world on the ship. Interstellar travel has come a long way since its inception; however it is still a delicate operation. At least the seats were roomy and each person had their own monitor to watch programs or search the internet. Passengers could even recline into a laying position to rest, if desired. Ava secured her small carry-on bag in the locking compartment underneath her seat and buckled her safety harness. Only ten minutes now until lift-off.

“Hi, I’m Helena Marks,” said the young woman. Ava introduced herself and the two young women began to talk. Ava felt surprised to see how friendly Helena was, not many people were in this age. Most everyone kept to themselves. Helena’s perky twenty-four-year old personality cheered Ava a little bit. She discovered Helena’s reason to travel to Orionis; to be a sever technician on the station. Her parents had encouraged her to migrate as soon as possible after college. They also wished to join her at the first opportunity. Work was scarce in her location of what was left of the United States. She hoped to begin a new life and one day visit some of her other friends that have migrated to the other stations.

One of the starship attendants made his final rounds to check to see that everyone in the human transport cabin was secure before lift-off. “This is it, there is no turning back now,” Ava mumbled to herself.

After a brief count-down, the Solar Wind blasted off. After they cleared Earth’s atmosphere, the disposition in the cabin seemed fairly peaceful. Ava and Helena chatted amicably about their lives on Earth and what they each knew about Orionis. Ava liked Helena’s upbeat and positive outlook on life. She appeared to be very trusting of strangers, something that Ava was always cautious about. Helena’s peppy personality matched her physical appearance perfectly. Her travel attire was practical and fashionable. She wore stylish silver boots, light gray pants and a new white cropped coat. The perfect waves of her shoulder length hair bounced whenever she turned her head. Even her eye makeup looked perfect, applied expertly around her light icy blue eyes. It seemed fairly obvious that she had come from a privileged family and was a tiny bit spoiled despite her need for a job. Ava and Helena got along with each other agreeably, both seemed relieved to have met each other and would be friends starting out in a new environment. Ava expected to be entirely alone beginning her new life on a space station and was happy that she now had a new friend to share experiences with. As the trip grew tiresome, Ava reclined her seat and drifted into a dream-less sleep.

Chapter 2

Orionis

Ava woke at the sound of the intercom. The starship attendants issued instructions for the landing procedure that would begin soon. She felt as though she should be taking notes as the instructions seemed to go on forever. The passengers were advised to report immediately to the ITO Migration Point in the hangar on Orionis to begin the check in process. Although nervous, Ava brimmed with excitement as the ship landed.

The passengers formed a line awaiting the cabin doors to open. Several minutes passed and they groaned as they slowly slid open. Ava raised herself up on the tips of her toes and gained her first glimpse of her new home. The gigantic, brightly lit hangar bustled with activity. There were many starships present of all shapes, sizes, and colors; some large, some small, and some coming and going through the airlock. People seemed to be everywhere doing various tasks, though everything seemed to be well controlled and calm. It was business as usual on what seemed to be a typical Monday. Large monitors were positioned around the hangar with vivid green words, numbers, and symbols indicating the status of the various vessels present. One of the starship attendants ushered the passengers out onto the landing dock and down the steps to the ITO Migration Point. Ava’s deep blue eyes flashed all over the hangar taking it all in as they approached the office. Since she was in the middle of the line behind Helena, they would have to wait their turns to be processed. While waiting and filling out an electronic questionnaire, Ava could not shake the feeling that someone’s eyes were on her. She glanced around a few times and thought she saw someone in the distance staring at her. For a split second their eyes met. He leaned against one of the monitor kiosks staring intensely at her with wide eyes. The distance made it impossible to discern specific features. Ava could see that his hair and eyes were dark, his face expressionless.

“What are you looking at, Ava?” Helena demanded, realizing the story that she was telling did not hold her attention. Ava looked down at Helena and glanced back at the stranger who had disappeared.

“It’s nothing. I wonder how much longer we have to wait to be checked in,” Ava remarked slightly impatiently, changing the subject. She didn’t want to dwell on it, although that didn’t stop her from looking around frequently. By the time her turn came she had not seen any further sign of the stranger.

Ava sat down at the small desk as the uniformed ITO officer began to process her arrival. The officer, a cheerful middle-aged woman with short blonde hair smiled as Ava handed her the electronic tablet to sync. “Let’s see, Ava Amherst, age 25, hair; Auburn, eyes; blue, height; five feet seven inches, weight; 130 pounds, marital status; widowed, occupation; nurse practitioner. Oh yes, I processed your approved application. You’ll be working at the Orionis Medical Center on Level 3 in the outpatient clinic with Dr. Grant. They are looking forward to having you there, they are so busy.” Ava liked the officer’s friendliness.

“Let’s get your ID processed and then we’ll go over your orientation schedule and living quarters arrangement.”

Each new immigrant to Orionis received a photo identification card that was linked to a bank account and served as a debit card when making purchases. The ITO on Earth assisted Ava to create an account on Orionis and transferred her credits prior to her departure to expedite this process and ensure she would have access to her money immediately after arrival, not that she had much saved. There was no such thing as legal money lending or “credit” anymore. The amount of money, or credits, a person had at any given time in their account was all a person could spend. If you didn’t have the money to buy something, you simply did without. If you spent more than you had, you were arrested. This system often set new immigrants up for failure due to the high cost of living on the stations.

“Okay, everything’s all set, Ms. Amherst. Tomorrow you will report to the ITO office on Level 3 at 8 a.m. for the new resident orientation program. They will review all of the major laws of this station among other things. You can access the station handbook and map from the internet in your quarters. Tomorrow you will also be taken on a short tour of the third through fifth levels to help you become more familiarized with where things are located. Your quarters are located on Level 4, residential district number three, unit number forty-seven. You’re lucky; a single dwelling became available last week so you won’t have to share with anyone. Your first day of work will be on Wednesday. Report to the Outpatient Clinic at the OMC at 8 a.m. Dr. Grant requested that you shadow him for a week or so until you feel comfortable on your own, then they’ll work out a schedule for you, but they will talk with you more about that on Wednesday. Now, if you’ll have a seat in the waiting room next door we’ll finish processing your group and escort everyone to their quarters with their travel trunks.”

Helena waited impatiently for Ava to be checked in. “Isn’t this exciting? I’m going to be working on Level 5 and living on Level 6. What about you Ava? What level are you on? Are you going to have a roommate?”

“No roommate. They gave me a single dwelling. I’ll be working on Level 3 and living on Level 4. It looks like I’ll be able to walk to and from work, I’m glad, the public transportation fees for the trams are outrageous.”

“Wow, Level 4, that’s nice.” Ava thought she detected a slight note of jealousy in Helena’s voice. Ava’s prior research of Orionis revealed that the station had twelve levels. Like an onion’s layers, the outermost levels were larger and the lower, inner-most levels were smaller and more compact. It was no secret that the affluent people and businesses were situated closest to Level 1 and it seemed to go down from there. The extent of the differences in class amongst the levels did not seem to be widely publicized. Ava figured they would learn more at tomorrow’s orientation.

“I’m going to have a roommate.” Helena mockingly pouted.

“That’s great Helena; you’ll have someone who can help to show you around.”

“Yeah, I guess so; I wasn’t expecting a room-mate. I’ve never lived with anyone other than my parents. I always had my own place in college. I hope she’s not a psycho.”

“I’m sure she’s not,” Ava laughed as they exchanged addresses so that they would be able to call and message one another.

The ITO completed the registration of its new residents. There were a few more people in the waiting room that must have come in on other starships. Several sighs of relief were heard as the tram arrived to collect everyone and their possessions to escort them to their new homes.

Ava was one of the first residents to be dropped off on Level 4. Most of the others would most likely dwell on one of the lower levels. Ava suspected that because of her profession, she needed to be closer to the clinic and was assigned her quarters based on this. An ITO officer punched a code on the number panel next to the door. A chime prompted Ava to press her thumb on the digital scanner to record her thumbprint which would now be her entry key. Once everything was set, the door silently slid open and Ava said good-bye to Helena as two of the officers carried her trunks inside. The door shut instantly once Ava was inside and the lights turned on. They were apparently set to activate on motion sensors in order to conserve energy. The vents began to cycle once the sensors were activated, flushing out the dry, stale air. What a nice little one bedroom apartment, Ava thought. Although small and plain, it was neutrally decorated and adequately furnished. A small lightly cushioned couch and metal table were in the center of the main living area. A large monitor/television hung on the main wall next to the tiny kitchen. Two small stools stood at the kitchen bar/counter. Whoever had lived here before arranged the small desk with the computer next to the entryway, a nice placement Ava thought. Next Ava checked out the small bedroom. A twin sized bed, small armoire and dresser overwhelmed the space. The bathroom next to the closet also housed the laundry equipment, small, but more than adequate for one person. Overall Ava felt satisfied with her new home and began the task of unpacking her few belongings.

After a short rest, Ava accessed the map of Level 4 online and decided to venture out to buy some food. Residents were allocated a set amount of water each day. Using more than the assigned amount meant receiving a water bill above and beyond the rent. Most residents could not afford this. Ava felt exhausted by the time she reached the store. This is weird, she thought. She didn’t usually become so tired from walking. Must be the long journey, she reasoned. Food and plant life, especially produce, were precious commodities on any space station. The outermost level of any station was dedicated to sustaining oxygen gardens, agriculture, and also farming of edible food. No one looked up as Ava passed through the crowded avenues and arrived at a small store. Ava never expected friendliness from anyone, it just didn’t happen. Making ends meet was hard and everyone had their own agenda, mainly survival, therefore people tended to keep to themselves.

Ava walked through the entryway into the store. Everything appeared to be arranged in a neat, orderly fashion on the shelves and in the refrigerated units. She scanned the shelves for the basic staples and was astonished by the prices. English and French were the primary languages used on Orionis. Ava only knew a few words in French. She could not identify many of the items on the shelves because of the plain packaging and language barrier. On Earth most food products could be identified just by looking at the package, it didn’t matter what language was used. Without pictures or illustrations, Ava had to spend more time standing there, figuring out what things were. Being in a store when you are hungry is not good for your budget, it’s even worse when you are starving. She remembered from the online map that there were a few more stores further down the avenue. She left the store without buying anything. A few minutes later Ava stood outside of the second store. She hoped for the best and walked in. These prices were even more expensive than the first place and most everything was labeled in French. She couldn’t believe it. Much to her relief, the third store, “Foust,” had slightly lower prices than the first store, but not by much. Ava knew it would be a few weeks until her first payday so she could only afford only a few of the basics. No produce this week. Looks like it will be rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a while. Anything to fill an empty stomach. It won’t be so bad once I get paid, Ava kept thinking. By the time she returned home with her few precious food items, she could barely keep her eyes open. After a quick rinse in the shower and eating a small bowl of rice she set the alarm for 6:30 a.m. and went to bed.

Ava followed the directions from the online map to the ITO office on Level 3. As she walked, she observed her surroundings. The passages and avenues appeared clean, sleek and simple. The streets consisted of a pattern of white and silver tiles. The offices and shops that lined the corridors demonstrated their uniqueness in their store front designs and colors of their lighted signs. The light gray industrial ceiling did nothing for the imagination. Orionis certainly did not have a reputation for excitement, nor was it a vacation destination. However, dull as it may have seemed, Ava appreciated the cleaner air and peaceful environment. She never enjoyed living underground on Earth. The entrance to the ITO office seemed impressive compared to the other offices around.

Ava sat next to Helena at orientation. “Good morning, how was your first night? Did you like your roommate?”

“I hardly even saw her. Her name is Samantha. She works nights, and I work days. I think that we will only be seeing each other in passing. She seemed okay. I think she’s around twenty-one.”

“Did you like your apartment?”

“It’s so small, but I’m happy that I have my own bedroom. I can lock it when I leave so at least I don’t have to worry about anything getting ripped off.”

“Do you think that your roommate would do that?”

“Who knows? You can’t really trust anyone here until you get to know them. The residents on Level 6 seem a bit desperate. I went shopping for food yesterday and I could barely afford anything. There are only two stores on my level and I went to both of them. One had slightly lower prices than the other, but it was a hike. I was quite put out. I haven’t been this tired in my whole life. It’s also a good thing I learned some French in school, that’s all the food packages are written in and that’s all Samantha speaks.”

“I’m beginning to wish I had taken some French. I went shopping also and I couldn’t figure out what was what. I ended up buying mostly rice. I’m going to have to start learning some French. I saw there was a tutorial online.”

“Here comes the instructor.” Helena noted. “I’m glad they are doing an orientation. I have tons of questions I need answered.”

The ITO instructor was a short, no-nonsense, clean cut kind of man. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, his presentation was extremely informative. The attendees learned about Orionis’ history and development. They learned about the twelve levels that comprised the station and that each level had a different purpose and function. The most important levels were the outermost first and second levels because they contained the precious oxygen and agricultural gardens as well as the innumerable solar panels. The import and export landing hangars as well as the cargo bays were also located on these levels. Therefore this is where the security is most tight and strict. As the levels progressed inward towards the nuclear power cells at the core, security still maintained a presence, but it was nowhere near that of the outermost levels. Orionis had a wonderful self-sustaining reputation. Water and air were recycled. Nothing was wasted. Most documents were electronic, thus eliminating unnecessary waste. Residents were fined if they did not participate in the strict recycling programs for anything that did come in a paper or plastic package. Fire or anything with an open flame was strictly forbidden due to the consumption of oxygen.

Each station in orbit held a democracy, each lead by an elected president. Only citizens who have lived on the station for a minimum of three years could register to vote. The ITO strictly controlled all travel to and from the station. Residents who could afford to travel to the other stations for recreation could do so only after six months of continuous residency on the station. At the orientation, the ITO instructor gave an explicit warning to the new residents not to go beyond their spending limits. Residents who could not support their spending would be promptly prosecuted and shipped back to Earth. Although a working community, the station had many recreational activities. Residents were encouraged to use the various workout facilities on levels three and four. Memberships were actually free. This is because power cells were connected to most of the workout equipment, thus harnessing the energy created from repetitive movements. The station utilized this type of energy for simple things, such as lighting.

Orientation ended in the early afternoon. Ava and Helena wandered about the avenues becoming acclimated with their surroundings before heading back to their homes. Ava wanted to rest before her first day at work. As she made her way home she felt as though she was being watched again. This time, however, as she looked around, she did not see anyone gazing at her.

Ava arrived early to work at the OMC, eager to meet the physician who she would be working with. After the nurses gave Ava the tour of the clinic, Dr. Brennan Grant arrived.

“Ms. Amherst, welcome to the OMC.”

Ava approved of him instantly. He appeared to have a calm, soft-spoken, reassuring nature. He looked to be around fifty years old, a thin man just under six feet tall with plentiful salt and pepper brown hair and a goatee. He wore a simple white lab coat and stood in the doorway to his office wiping his glasses off on his lab coat.

“I’m pleased to meet you, Dr. Grant.” Ava smiled. “I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“We are excited to have you; your resume and your work at the All Saints Medical Clinic on Earth is impressive.”

“Thank you. I had such a wonderful experience working for them before and after I graduated. I love the variety of patients you see in primary care.”

Ava and Dr. Grant sat in his office for a short time while he gave her an overview of the clinic schedule, job expectations, etc. Ava had always been a dedicated student and a hard worker. She enjoyed seeing patients, and consistently felt rewarded when she could help them improve and feel better. As she shadowed Dr. Grant the first few days she knew she had come to the right place. The other providers and staff were welcoming and she appreciated having such a pleasant physician to collaborate with. By the middle of the next week, Ava was ready to take on her own team of patients each day without difficulty.

As the days passed, Ava became increasingly tired. It would be another week until she would be paid for the first time. Health care providers were considered to be included in the more affluent members of society on Orionis and, on average, usually earned a decent living, depending on experience. The discussion of salary was disappointing, it would be less than Ava had hoped for because she only had less than two years of experience after graduation. She would have to stick to a strict budget with food for a while until things evened out. She had never experienced a time of prolonged hunger growing up. Food had never been overly abundant, but she never recalled feeling as starved as she had now. Eating mostly rice day in and day out kept her alive, but wasn’t appetizing, or nutritious. Ava vowed never to eat rice ever again once she could afford it. Helena seemed to be in a similar situation. She constantly complained to Ava whenever they were together about how hungry she felt. She earned even fewer credits than Ava.

As the next week arrived, Ava began to feel increasingly worn out. She had always been average; however she noticed that she had started losing weight. After work one day, Ava stepped on the scale, 110 pounds. This is not good, Ava thought. She had never weighed so little. That night at home Ava took a shower and studied herself in the mirror. She looked pale and weary, almost emaciated. Her ribs and hips were clearly visible, her hair and eyes were lackluster and dull. She realized she appeared as most of her patients did to her; gaunt and spiritless. No wonder there wasn't any shortage of food on Orionis, Ava thought; nobody could afford to buy what was available. She knew it would only be a few more days until she was paid, if she conserved as much energy as possible, perhaps she could make it to Friday.

Chapter 3

The Square

When Thursday arrived Ava set off for work feeling exhausted. As the day dragged on, Ava put forth her best effort to maintain her composure. Over the past week she intentionally worked on charting through her lunch hours to conceal the fact that she never had much more than reheated rice to eat. She dreaded how embarrassed she would feel if her coworkers knew that she could barely afford to buy food. Only one more day she thought. As soon as the day is over tomorrow she could go directly to the store and buy some real food. Fortunately none of Ava’s patients or her coworkers sensed the discouragement she felt. She worked hard to keep it that way. She had not had what she would call a decent meal in a few weeks. At first, the inadequate amounts of food left her with the sensation of a ravenous hunger. As the time passed, she no longer felt the hunger so much anymore. She just became numb to it.

The avenues swelled like a sea of moving people as Ava slowly walked home from work. She normally walked with a sense of purpose when she moved about, observing her surroundings, but not today. No longer needing to put on a strong front; she let her gait slow and her eyes search the ground as she moved. The Square on Level 3 marked the half-way point home. It was a great intersection of several avenues lined with many stores and small cafes that enticed people to stop by with small tables both inside as well as outside to create ambience. It was one of her favorite places she had seen so far on Orionis.

As she entered the Square she began to feel warm and sweaty. With each step she sensed something was wrong and getting worse. Ava was almost knocked over by the people walking in a steady stream around her on their way home. She could feel it coming, she knew if she didn’t sit down she was going to faint. But where? She knew better, she knew she had to do something. Her vision began to dim and the ringing that began in her ears drowned out the sounds of the crowds. It seemed like an eternity had passed. She stopped and tried to concentrate on steadying her breathing and staying conscious, but it was a losing battle. At that moment Ava felt a jolt as two pairs of strong hands gripped her arms, one person on each side of her. She couldn’t think or act as she sensed that she was placed into a seated position on a chair nearby. Someone was speaking calmly, a man, while someone steadied Ava in a sitting position on the chair. Ava couldn’t open her eyes and the roaring in her ears continued. She concentrated on breathing. Then, the pair of hands holding her up seemed to switch with the other pair and someone held a cool glass of water to her lips. Instinct had taken over and Ava drank in small amounts. As the warm sensation passed, and the roaring insider her ears gradually faded.  Ava’s vision slowly returned to normal. Her breathing slowed and she looked upon the two strangers that had come to her aid.

Ava found herself sitting at a small “outdoor” table at “Fruition” a specialty café.  A blonde woman stood to her left next to the table holding the half empty glass of water. Ava thought she resembled a beautiful angel. A man with black hair and very dark, expressive round eyes took a seat at the little round table towards her right. Both looked upon her with relieved faces. As Ava began to recover she looked upon the pair and tried to think of something to say, her brain cells did not seem to be working right now.

“Are you feeling better, Miss? That was close. A few more seconds and we would have been picking you up off of the ground. Looks like you are starting to get your color back. Why don’t you have the rest of this water?” The blonde woman had a pleasant voice, a kind face, and smiled with sympathy at Ava.

Ava took the glass carefully with a slight tremble in her hands from the blonde woman who seemed to be standing guard over her. “Thank you, I’m so sorry to have troubled you. I’m grateful for your assistance.” She managed to reply as she recovered.

Ava did a quick assessment of her two new acquaintances. Her trained eye observed many things about the two of them. They both appeared healthy and happy. Neither appeared malnourished nor overly thin like most of her patients, or like herself. They both had full, round cheeks, not the sunken ones like she was used to seeing on a daily basis at work and in her own mirror.

The man looked as though he were in his early thirties. Ava could tell he was tall and well built. His skin was fair and had no blemishes. He had nice sized expressive dark chocolate brown eyes and full lips with straight white teeth. He had a perfectly proportioned straight angular nose, with high set cheek bones and a straight, strong chin. His hair was black, straight, thick and glossy; cut short in the back and gradually became a little longer on top.  Ava could tell he took good care of himself. She thought he was very handsome.  Although he was clean cut, he wasn’t dressed for typical office duties; he wore what looked like working class gear. He had on a heavy crew collar cropped leather bomber jacket half zipped up with a navy blue crew neck shirt, black pants, a utility belt that held various items and black boots. The jacket, still in good condition, looked very old. Ava had never seen much leather the entire time she had grown up. The use of leather for shoe and clothing construction had become rare due to the limited number of livestock left in existence.

Ava glanced at the woman now sitting to her left. Her soft, shiny, full, light blonde hair flowed several inches past her shoulders. Ava estimated her to be around twenty seven years old.  Her flawless fair complexion seemed luminous. She studied Ava with kind baby blue eyes. She also had full lips with perfectly aligned white teeth and a dainty well proportioned nose. Her attire consisted of a black sleeveless vest jacket, a crew necked mauve shirt, satin finished black pants and boots. She wore a small knapsack on her back. Ava noticed she had a glittering gold diamond anniversary band on her left fourth finger. How rare she thought. Jewelry, particularly diamonds were seldom seen in everyday life. Most of the precious metals were sold or collected decades ago to be melted down and used to assist with the delicate construction of the countless circuit boards and wiring needed for space migration and station technology. A majority of the jewelry and gemstones in existence were lost in The Great Impact, the rest were handed down through the generations. Only the most affluent people could afford to buy jewelry. The once time-honored tradition of exchanging wedding rings was for the most part forgotten. Some couples had rings tattooed on, while others, including Ava, wore nothing.  Ava considered herself lucky to have inherited a pair of small gold huggie earrings from her grandmother, each with three tiny diamonds that were pave set. They were not flashy earrings, but Ava was proud of them and never removed them. They were the only pieces of jewelry she ever owned. Looking at the ring she wondered if the woman and the man sitting with her were married to each other.

A waitress arrived and surveyed the table, giving Ava the once over to see if she was all right. Ava, still feeling flushed and self conscious, looked down at the ground. The dark-haired man spoke quietly to the server in French. She smiled as she gave a quick reply and walked back into the café.

The man turned his attention back to Ava. “I’m Wesley Robinson.” He stretched to shake hands with Ava. His hand felt warm and strong. Ava thought she noticed a strange sensation as their hands touched, almost like muted static electricity. It was so subtle Ava dismissed it.

“I’m Ava Amherst” she replied. “Thank you for helping me, I’m feeling a lot better now.” She managed a smile as she looked at them.

“This is Naomi” he nodded to the blonde woman.

“Thank you, it was so nice of you to stop and help me.” Ava shook hands with her. There it was again, so faint it was barely noticeable, tiny electric shocks. Ava thought she must be out of her mind.

“We’re glad we could help. You must be new to Orionis.”

“Yes, I’ve only been here a few weeks. How could you tell?” Ava replied, wondering how much she should divulge to these new strangers.

“It’s not difficult to spot the new residents.” Wesley said. “The economy is so unforgiving here. So many people find it tough to survive in the beginning. We’ve seen more people than we should die of hunger alone trying to start a new life.”

Ava detected a slight European accent when he spoke, but could not identify the exact origin. The waitress returned and set three large glasses on the table. Each glass held a fragrant, cold, thick, slightly sweet and fruity creamy shake. It looked and smelled delicious. Ava had been without a decent meal in weeks and this shake was calling her name. She looked down at the ground again. Ordering a drink in a café seemed like such a simple thing, but to Ava it was not. She already had a glass of water; she knew that she at least had enough credits for that. Looking at this fancy appetizing shake, she knew she could not afford it. Ava didn’t want to get in trouble for buying something she could not pay for. The last thing she wanted was to be deported back to Earth. She would have to send it back. She noticed that Wesley and Naomi exchanged quick glances.

“Hey, it’s on me for both of you. I’ll call it my good deed for the day.” He smiled as he handed his card to the server. He never seemed to take his watchful yet concerned eyes off of Ava.

“Why, thank you, Captain.” Naomi exclaimed, half-joking.

“That’s very kind of you; the food here is so expensive.” Ava remarked wondering what the “captain” comment meant. She disliked accepting help from people she did not know. She did not want to be in anyone’s debt. After Nathan’s death Ava worked very hard to maintain her independence and succeeded. Ava had a tendency to be too hard on herself whenever a mistake was made or something went wrong. Although she was relieved that someone cared enough to stop and help her, she could not help but feel that she had failed somehow to make it on her own.

“I’m curious, where did the ITO recommend you shop for food?” Wesley asked.

“No-where in particular. They just said to avoid going below Level 5 for pretty much everything.”

“Of course the ITO would say that. They receive the most profit of sales from the top levels. They try to scare the new residents from shopping around by offering them a sense of safety. I suppose the first five levels are a bit safer, but the other levels have a lot to offer, if you are careful and know what you are doing.”

“If you shop on some of the lower levels, you can get a little more for your money. Not to mention a little more colorful atmosphere.” Naomi added. “You should try Infinity on Level 9. Their food is relatively fresh and the prices are the most reasonable. We do a lot of business with them to stock our ship.”

“Your ship? Are you really a Captain?” Ava looked at Wesley.

“Yes, on The Andromeda. We deal mainly in transportation of cargo, wherever or whenever it’s needed among the space stations and Earth. We do quite a bit of business for Orionis. Most of our food supply comes from Infinity. Mention my name to the owner, Graham, and he’ll give you a good deal.”

“I’ll definitely remember that.” Ava smiled. She was half-way through her protein shake. She felt like a wilted flower that had suddenly been watered and started to perk up.

“You can also buy protein shake mixes similar to this. It’s a good way to stretch your credits and still feel as though you aren’t starved.” Naomi described what the packaging looked like and spelled out the brand name in French for Ava so that she would be able to identify it. Then she revealed something Ava had been wondering about. “You’ll also start feeling better over the next few weeks as your body adjusts to the gravity here. The inducers maintain a gravity pull similar to that of Earth; however it’s just a little bit stronger. It’s enough to put a drag on your system and make you feel exhausted.”

The three of them continued to talk and Ava learned many things from these two strangers. They seemed honest and friendly and she felt at ease. They were the first people, aside from Helena and her co-workers, that actually spoke to her. The encounter seemed to chase away her loneliness. Anyone passing by in the Square who observed them would think they looked like three friends hanging out.

“I’m grateful for all of the advice. I wish I had known all of this two weeks ago.” Ava was grateful. She realized she had learned more information about Orionis from these two strangers in the past twenty minutes than from anyone else, including her coworkers over the last few weeks.

“There is one thing that is very important.” Wesley’s tone indicated his seriousness. “Whatever you do, you should never, no matter how desperate you could become, go below Level 9 for anything. It is not safe for anyone down there, especially a lone young woman. The lower levels are mostly industrial. The few businesses that do exist down there aren’t credible. Security is present, but the people who do go down there are usually avoiding something or are up to no good.”

“Okay, I’ll stick to Level 9 and up.” She smiled. Ava glanced at the large digital clock in the Square, almost eight thirty. It had been a long day and she was feeling tired again, wanting to rest. “I’m sorry, but I think it’s about time I headed home. I want to thank both of you for all of the information and your kindness tonight.”

“I guess it is getting late. You are quite welcome Ms. Amherst, anytime.” He held out his hand again, as did Naomi.

“How can I get in touch with you to pay you back for the shake?”

“That won’t be necessary.” He said with a smile.

“I’m sure we’ll run in to each other again sometime.” Naomi added.

“Good night, thanks again.” Ava smiled at them, rose up, and turned to walk away, feeling a little disappointed that she did not pursue getting any contact information to get in touch with them again. Maybe they didn’t want to stay in touch with her. After all, if they came and went on a starship all of the time, how good of friends could they become? As she reached the end of the Square at the avenue that lead her to the lifts and Level 4, she paused and turned back to look at her new acquaintances one last time, but they had already gone. As Ava readied herself for bed she reflected back on the evening.  She liked Wesley and Naomi and wondered if she really would see them again. Being around other people near her own age socially was something she missed. Helena was some company but she was a bit immature at times. Ava felt uplifted as she went to sleep, tomorrow would finally be payday.

Chapter 4

Helena

Friday was a busy day for Ava at work. The day seemed to go by in a blur. After the clinic closed for the weekend, Ava rushed home to change with one thing on her mind; food. She pulled up her first earnings statement online. As she reviewed the document, she was surprised to see that she had earned a little more than what she had been expecting although it was still lower than her salary on Earth. The clinic had not given her an exact number, however she had looked up the pay scale range for her experience level and according to the statement, she was slightly above it. Ava smiled. Thank goodness for small miracles, she thought. Next. she looked up the map for Level 9. She planned to take Helena with her to Infinity to shop for food. Ava called Helena to let her know she was on her way and grabbed the one and only knapsack she owned and was out the door in a flash.

She met Helena at her quarters on Level 6. She could not believe the difference in the quality of the quarters between hers and Helena’s. Since Helena shared a residence it appeared larger than Ava’s however the furniture was not as updated and showed some wear. She noticed that the television monitor on the wall was not as large and modern as the one she had. Ava felt it best not to mention it. As they walked to the lift to Level 9, she told Helena about her encounter with Wesley and Naomi the previous evening.

“And you think they were telling the truth about this store we are going to?” Helena asked as though she did not believe it.

“They seemed very kind and honest; I doubt they would lie about something like that. Anyway we’ll find out soon enough. It’s a little bit of a hike from the lift according to the map, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

As they arrived on Level 9, they looked around cautiously after they stepped off of the lift with the other people riding down. Another large group was waiting to go back up. The design of Level 9 had much more character than the sterile clean lines and spotless tiles of Level 3. This level did not have a central square, however was arranged as a grid of blocks with wide avenues. It looked like a very busy place as people moved about. Trams were plentiful as were stores, restaurants, and offices. The lighting glowed somewhat dimmer here than on Level 3 and 4 and the flooring consisted of stone-like dark grey tiles. Each establishment had its own creative sign to catch the attention of the people passing by. Ava sensed a bit more of a hectic feeling in this new environment, however she felt safe. They followed the directions Ava had retrieved online to finally arrive at Infinity. The store wasn’t much to look at on the outside; it appeared to be almost a vacant warehouse front with a small sign and large double steel doors.

As Ava approached the doors they automatically opened. She could see that the inside of the store was arranged as a large warehouse. There were several people shopping and Ava caught her balance as she was almost knocked over by two women hustling inside. “Okay, this is it, let’s go, Helena.” Ava brimmed with excitement now; she hoped that she would finally be able to buy some real food. She and Helena decided to split up to make the trip faster because they could not wait to actually get home and eat. Ava found that more items were described in English here than on the upper levels, however there was still a fair mix of items in French. The prices made the stores on Earth look cheap in comparison, however they were much less than the stores on Level 4. She thought carefully about her budget and the size of her knapsack. She knew that she would most likely have to make a few trips a week simply because she could not carry much home. She did not want to stress her already worn and practically threadbare sack. She found the protein shake mix Naomi had mentioned and picked up some pasta and sauce, a few kitchen staples, and some other items she would need. She met Helena at the checkout and noticed Helena hadn’t picked out as much as she had. Ava suspected she did not have that much to spend. The owner, Graham, happened to be at Ava’s checkout counter helping out.

“How are you this evening, my dear?” he said cheerfully as he began totaling up her items while Ava handed her knapsack to his teenage assistant to pack. He was an average sized man with slightly graying hair, a mustache and round glasses. He was dressed in a red and white thin striped shirt with a white apron and gray slacks.

“I’m doing great, thank you. This is my first time here; you have such a wonderful store. Captain Robinson recommended that we shop here.” What the heck, might as well try it, Ava thought. He seemed like a nice man.

“Captain Robinson sent you and your friend, how wonderful!” he exclaimed. “Any friends of the Captain are most welcome here. He and his crew are such loyal customers. They’ve generously helped to keep me in business when times were tough.” He reached under the counter and handed Ava two small plastic cards. “I don’t normally hand these out to just anyone,” he said in a low voice, “but since Captain Robinson referred you here, I’d be happy to have your continued business as well. Here are some discount cards, one for you and one for your friend. You can use them anytime you come here, and we hope to see you often.”

“Thank you so much, that’s very kind of you. I think you will be seeing me a lot.” She smiled at the man as he applied the twenty percent discount off of her total. It made a difference. The apparent good reputation that Captain Robinson had with Graham and his store verified Ava’s thoughts that she had indeed met two genuinely nice people in The Square. She found this comforting. Helena was elated that she also benefitted from Ava’s encounter with the Captain. She smiled with happiness as they left.

As the two women walked back to the lifts Ava felt relieved that her life might finally be beginning to show some hope for better times. She thought of Wesley and Naomi and just how much they had helped her in so many ways with a simple act of kindness and sharing information. She hoped she would have the chance to meet and thank them again.

Ava made another trip to the store on Sunday to buy a few more items so that she would not have to go back until the end of the busy work week. She appreciated being able to afford more groceries, however it was a long journey back and forth. This time Helena declined to accompany Ava. She could tell something was wrong. Helena still continued to complain about how hungry she was. Anyone could see how undernourished she had become. Her salary measured significantly lower than Ava’s and she struggled to have enough to eat, though she never admitted it. Ava hated to see anything suffer. Although she herself could not afford to eat as much as she used to on Earth, Ava offered to help Helena buy food. She guessed that Helena always had plenty of everything on Earth and that her pride kept her from accepting any help.

As a few weeks passed, Helena became more and more irritable. On Thursday Ava made some pasta after work, packed up the leftovers and some protein shake powder and decided to take them to Helena because she felt sorry for her. Helena answered the door on the second buzz. She appeared so tired and drawn. This time she did not argue as Ava heated up the pasta and mixed the small shake. Ava watched her devour the food in less than three minutes.

“Helena, please let me help you, at least until you get on your feet. I know that life is tough here. It’s tough even for me.”

“For you? Ava, you’ve got it made. You have a nice safe apartment and a job with a good salary. You don’t understand what I’m going through. I can’t keep accepting help to survive. I’ve got to make it on my own now. I appreciate your offer; and don’t take this the wrong way, thanks, but no thanks.”

“Helena . . .”

“Ava please, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Besides, someone at work told me about a better place to buy groceries, a place that even I can afford.”

“Where is this fabulous grocery store?”

“It’s down on Level 11. Tomorrow’s payday and I’m going there after work.”

“Helena, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go down there. When I nearly fainted in The Square a few weeks ago, Wesley warned me not to go past Level 9. He said it wasn’t safe. Is it worth risking your safety for food when I can help you out?”

“It will be fine. What’s going to happen to me down there? You should come with me. Nothing’s going to happen to us if we are together.”

“I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.” The instinctual warning bells began sounding in Ava’s head.

“Well, I’ll be leaving here around six tomorrow. You can meet me here if you want to come.”

Ava felt mixed emotions for Helena’s situation as she walked home. Helena was her friend and she liked her, however she did not know what she should do about her exploring one of the lowest levels of Orionis to buy less expensive food. Should she let Helena go alone or should she stay with her hoping to have safety in numbers? The dilemma continued to plague her mind, so much so that Ava had a hard time falling asleep that night. The next day, Ava put the predicament out of her mind until she left work. Friday night. It was 5:30 and she decided to walk to Helena’s to try and talk some sense into her.

“Hi, Ava! I’m so glad you came! Don’t worry, I know the exact address of the store. We will be in and out of Level 11 before you know it.”

“Helena, I don’t want to go to Level 11. I’m worried about your safety.”

“Not that again,” Helena said as she ushered Ava out the door which locked behind them. She started to walk towards the avenue that lead to the lifts. “What makes you think this captain knows everything? You probably won’t even see him again.”

“I don’t know that he knows everything. But he and Naomi were kind to me and gave me great advice on other issues. I believe that they wouldn’t make something like that up.” Ava had to walk fast to keep up with Helena.

The two women continued to argue as they approached the lifts. The doors glided open and Helena, with several other people hustled in. Ava hesitated and then stepped into the lift beside Helena, still hoping to talk some sense into her.

“Helena, what if something does happen to you down there, what would your parents think?”

“Enough! Nothing’s going to happen. If you don’t want to go, then don’t,” Helena shot back angrily.

The lift made several stops on its way down. Most everyone got off on Level 9. A few more on Level 10 and then it was just Ava and Helena on the lift. The lift slowed to stop on Level 11 and a gust of stale air burst in the lift as the doors slid open. Ava and Helena peered into the avenue, which was poorly lit with a flickering street lamp somewhere nearby. The strobe like effect appeared eerie. Ava wasn’t sure what to expect. The Avenue seemed fairly quiet with only a few people moving around in the distance. Ava could see a few dimly lit stores and what appeared to be bars or nightclubs a little further away.

“See Ava? Nothing to worry about. Are you coming with me or not?”

Ava’s eyes scanned down the avenue again. She thought of her night in The Square. Wesley’s voice sounded clear in her mind as the moment he said it, “whatever you do. . .” At that moment Ava came to a decision, the struggle was over. “I’m sorry, Helena.”

“Fine. I’ll see you later then,” she said calmly as she turned and started to walk away.

“Helena, please don’t!” Ava shouted the words. Helena kept walking and Ava stepped back into the lift. The doors closed as Ava watched her only friend walk away into the dimly lit avenue.

She felt as though her stomach was tied in knots as she rode the lift back to Level 4. She had a bad feeling about this, though there was nothing she could do now except go home.

Chapter 5

That's Life

Ava waited until noon on Saturday before making the first attempt to call Helena to find out if she was okay. No answer. She left a message asking Helena to call her back. By Sunday, Helena had still not returned Ava’s call. She tried again. Nothing. She started to worry. Even by Tuesday, Ava still had no word from Helena and her concern for her friend overwhelmed her. After work she walked to Helena’s apartment and knocked on the door. A spark of hope flickered as the door began to open, but it was quickly doused. It was Samantha, Helena’s roommate.

“Hi, Samantha, I’m looking for Helena, did she come home on Friday night? I haven’t heard from her since then. Has she been here?”

Samantha began to ramble in French which frustrated Ava. The only word Ava could understand was “no” and by the way Samantha was gesturing it didn’t look good. Ava thanked her and left. Now what? Ava decided to check the crime reports online. Nothing mentioned Helena. She hesitated and gravely decided to look up the online obituary list. She knew about it only because her patients often mentioned it in their visits, to check on lost loved ones. Ava reflected on how sad it was when a person’s only sure way of checking on the status of someone they cared about was to check to make sure they haven’t died. Ava clenched and unclenched her fists nervously as the lists loaded. She gasped as she saw the vague description. “Helena Marks, Female, 24, died of cardiac arrest on Level 11.” The tears slid down silently as Ava shrank away from the computer monitor. A twenty-four-year old dying of a cardiac arrest? Ava wondered what actually happened to her.

The rest of the week dragged by at a snail’s pace until Friday came once again. After work Ava went straight home just as any other night. She hadn’t been in any mood to socialize since learning of Helena’s death. After dinner she wrote Alexis a long update on her situation and what happened to her friend. She hoped Alexis wouldn’t worry. She didn’t believe there was a reason to worry; she had no plans to venture past Level 9 ever again. On Saturday afternoon, Ava decided to escape her feelings of cabin fever and explore more of Level 9. She needed to go to Infinity anyway. She walked the avenues slowly for a several hours, stopping in and out of the stores randomly. She still didn’t have many credits saved and resisted the temptation to buy anything. Once she had more stability she would like to buy a new backpack to carry groceries, new boots, and some clothes. Although she did not buy anything, it was nice to see the different stores and make mental notes which ones carried the things she wished to buy soon. Even though Helena seemed immature at times, she was nice to Ava, and Ava missed having company when she shopped. She never seemed to escape the loneliness.

After Ava finished exploring she stopped at Infinity to buy some groceries for the next week. She had many staples at home and just needed a few basic items. She slung the knapsack over her shoulder as she left the store. After a short distance, the threadbare knapsack finally gave out, the strap ripped and the bag began to fall off. Ava caught it before it hit the ground. Luckily, nothing had fallen out or was broken. She breathed a quick sigh of relief. That’s great, Ava thought as she wondered what else would go wrong this week. It would be a long walk home carrying the knapsack in her arms.

Level 9 had a nice variety of lighting. Some avenues with more retail shops were brightly lit where the avenues with more restaurants had lower lighting for ambience. As she turned the corner to the main avenue that lead to the lifts, Ava saw a small group of people standing close to one of the tall hexagonal street lamps near the entrance to one of the restaurants. The fancy illuminated neon red sign simply read “Asia” to describe its cuisine. A blonde woman stood sideways next to a tall man with medium length wavy hair. Ava recognized her as Naomi. She also recognized Wesley in his leather jacket standing with his back to her talking to a few other people she had never seen. He had a backpack over one shoulder. She suddenly became happy that she finally had a chance to meet them again and thank them for their advice on the grocery store. As she approached the group Naomi turned and recognized her. “Ms. Amherst, it’s nice to see you again. How are you?”

As she spoke Wesley and the other people in the group turned to see whom Naomi was speaking to.

“Hi, Naomi. I’m well. I’m glad I ran into you again. I’ve been wanting to thank you and Captain Robinson for all of your advice.” Ava glanced at Wesley and the others.

“Ms. Amherst, I’m glad to see you are feeling better. How do you like Level 9?” Wesley replied with an even, calm voice Ava found appealing.

“Oh, please call me Ava. I like Level 9 very much. It definitely has more of a fun and casual atmosphere than Levels 3 and 4. I wanted to thank you again for your tips on shopping. It has made my life a little easier.”

“No problem, Ava. I’m glad everything worked out for you,” he said pleasantly.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever have the opportunity to thank both of you again. This is a huge station. You never know if you will be in the right time and place to run into someone you have met.”

The seating hostess came outside of the restaurant and spoke to the woman in the group with red wavy hair and green eyes. It was time for the group to be seated. Ava saw this and took it as her cue to leave. They must be hungry after their travels and she didn’t want to hold their dinner up.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you. It was nice to see you both again,” Ava said, slightly turning away.

“Ava, do you have any plans right now?” Wesley asked as he looked at the heavy bag in her arms.

“I was just on my way home from buying groceries.”

“Perhaps you would like to join my crew and I for dinner?” The invitation took Ava by surprise.

Naomi smiled. “Yes, why don’t you join us? It will be fun. It’s a new place; we have never eaten here before. It has a reputation for hot and spicy Asian cuisine. I’m sure it will be fabulous.”

“Do you have anything perishable in there?” Wesley gestured towards her knapsack.

“No, but I probably shouldn’t go in there with this. They might have regulations about bringing groceries into their restaurant.”

“Here, you can put that in my backpack. No one will be the wiser.” He handed Ava his well constructed black backpack which had “The Andromeda” stamped in small silver worn block lettering on one side. Ava hesitated. She could either go home and spend the evening alone in her apartment watching a movie or spend some time with them. Maybe this is what she needed. She hated to be alone all of the time and they seemed like good, honest people. Why not?

“Well, . . . okay.” She slid her bag into his backpack and pulled it up onto her shoulder.

As a group they followed the seating hostess to their table, which was in a more private area in the back. The restaurant was decorated with a vibrant red and gold color scheme with sheets of sheer red fabric draped strategically for dramatic effect from the ceiling. The lighting glowed low and soft, festive music flowed, and the wave of spices in the air was enough to make anyone hungry. There were many people there and servers moved about tending to their customers. After all eight of them sat down, Ava next to Wesley, he made the introductions.

“Ava you know Naomi Regnier, my public relations officer and scheduling coordinator. This is her husband Andre Regnier, my first mate.” He had pointed to the tall well built man with wavy mid length dark brown hair, green eyes and a long straight nose. He had a warm smile. Wesley continued to point around the table. Next, to a quiet, fair, tall man with short light blonde hair and blue eyes. “This is Justin Gaines, our medic and his wife Rowan Chandler, our chef and botanist.” Rowan was the petite woman with the rich wavy red hair and green eyes. She waved and smiled at Ava as Wesley introduced them. “Rowan also manages the oxygen garden on our ship.” Finally, there were two younger crew members, a man with short dark brown hair and sky blue eyes. “This is Ash Engelhart, our main pilot and navigator, and last but not least, Mia Ambrose, our newest crew member.” Mia looked as though she had Italian ancestry with olive toned skin, long straight dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. “Everyone, this is Ava Amherst. She is a nurse practitioner at the OMC on Level 3 and is also a new resident on Orionis.” Ava observed that they all seemed to range in age from about twenty-four to the mid-thirties. They all appeared well nourished and healthy.

The crew welcomed Ava as the server arrived. Rowan had pre-arranged an impressive tasting menu of several courses for the group. As the server went around the table everyone ordered a drink. Ava had only had an alcoholic drink once before, a glass of wine at her wedding reception over a year ago. Alcohol was very expensive on Earth; she could only imagine how much it would be here. She hesitated. She wasn’t sure what to do.

“They are going to bring everyone some hot tea. Why don’t you also have a drink? The Mai Tai’s should be pretty good here. Don’t worry, everything’s taken care of,” Wesley commented softly.

Not wanting to be the odd one of the group Ava agreed. “Okay, I’ll have one. Only one though.”

After the drinks were ordered everyone settled down into a single, and then sometimes separate conversations. The crew was curious about Ava and she was curious about all of them and their travels. The evening seemed to flow very well. The crew definitely appeared to be a lively bunch. They kidded and poked fun at each other and laughed a lot. To Ava they seemed like happy, intelligent, mature, and well rounded people. She almost felt as though she belonged with them. She vaguely sensed that she was fitting in and realized she was having a great time, the best since she had arrived on Orionis. Ava spent a lot of time alone since Nathan’s death. Alexis had been her closest friend. She longed to find a new close network of friends to associate with.

The food tasted incredible. Ava hadn’t eaten so much food in a long time. The flavors and textures were amazing; she cleaned her plate with each course.

“Those were some excellent choices, Rowan,” Wesley commented after everyone was done. The crew echoed his opinion enthusiastically.

The servers were now removing the empty plates and tidying up the table. He handed his card to the server who vanished behind the scenes with it and promptly returned. Ava couldn’t believe that he had paid for the entire group all at once. It was now near eleven o’clock and she started to feel sleepy after the huge dinner. She definitely wasn’t used to it. Everyone slowly got up and congregated outside of the front of the restaurant. Since it was so late there were very few people milling about in the avenues. Ava began to worry and wondered if it would be safe for her to walk home alone; however she did not want to trouble anyone. Just then the entire captain and crew’s Personal Communication Devices, or PCDs as they were called, started beeping frantically. Everyone had one hooked onto their belts or personal effects. Wesley pulled it off of his belt and one handedly pushed a few buttons on the device.

“Looks like someone has been poking around the outside of the ship and activated the security system. We’d better check it out.” He didn’t sound particularly concerned.

“I hope everything is okay.” Ava didn’t want anything bad to happen to her new potential friends.

“I’m sure it’s just some security officer or someone else messing around. It’s late anyway, I’ll bet that you’re tired after being around all of us tonight.”

“No, I mean, yes I’m a little tired, but I had a really good time tonight. I hope that I will see all of you again soon.”

“I’m certain of it,” he said with a smile. “Naomi and Andre will see that you get home safely.”

“That’s so nice of you. I really appreciate that,” Ava said to them.

“Good night.” Wesley started to walk away.

“Good night, thank you for dinner. Wait! What about your backpack?” Ava still had it slung over her shoulder.

“You keep it, Ava, how about I let you know if I need it back?” He turned and then he and the rest of the crew were off, leaving Ava with Naomi and Andre.

Ava turned back to Naomi and Andre and the three of them set out in the opposite direction towards the lifts. As they walked Ava noticed Naomi and her husband holding hands. It reminded her of how nice it must feel to have someone to be close to in an unforgiving world. She felt happy for them and tried to push the unhappy thoughts of her past from her mind. It has been almost a year since Nathan’s death and she still missed him terribly.

“Did you like the menu tonight, Ava?” Naomi asked pleasantly.

“Yes, it was delicious. It was so kind of you all to invite me to join you.”

“We were glad you could come. Perhaps next time you can invite your friend.”

“My friend?”

“When we were in The Square you mentioned that you had a friend on the ship that brought you here from Earth.”

“Yes. I did have a friend. Unfortunately I won’t be able to see her again,” Ava said sadly as she stared at the ground.

“Why not?”

“She had a difficult time affording groceries, even though I took her with me to Infinity. Then she wouldn’t accept my help. She told me that a co-worker suggested she visit a store on Level 11. They promised her that she would be able to afford the groceries there and she decided to go. I tried to stop her. I told her that you and Wesley advised me never to go down there but she went anyway. I even rode down the lift with her to Level 11 but she still didn’t listen to me.” Naomi raised a concerned eyebrow. “After she left I never saw her again. When she didn’t come back I checked the obituary list and it reported that she died of a cardiac arrest. I’m not sure I believe that.”

“Oh, Ava, I’m so sorry to hear that. It sounds like you did everything you could to prevent her from going down there. Whatever happened to her was not your fault.”

“What do you think happened to her? It’s unusual for a seemingly healthy twenty-four-year old woman suffer a cardiac arrest.”

It was Andre who spoke next. “Level 11 is not a safe place for several reasons. Many of the businesses are fraudulent. Not to mention that illicit drug use runs rampant down there. If your young friend died of a heart attack she most likely overdosed on something, either willingly or unknowingly.”

“You think someone drugged her?”

“It’s possible.”

“What about the authorities, wouldn’t they do an investigation if they suspected something like that?”

“Not unless she was someone of great importance, or if she was very wealthy. The authorities on Orionis are extremely strict, but not when it concerns Level 11.”

“That’s outrageous. You mean to tell me that the law enforcement here would turn a blind eye to an unsolved death of a young woman just because it happened on the lower levels and she didn’t have a lot of money or connections?”

“It’s an unfeeling world we live in. The ITO is a corrupt system. So many people migrate to the stations only to get mixed up with the wrong crowd. Desperate people will do anything to survive. It can be a recipe for disaster. As the ITO knows with the station census, when one person departs, another spot opens up for the next person, and thus they can collect the next migration fee. It’s an unrelenting cycle.”

“I can’t believe it. That’s so unjust.”

“Unfortunately, that’s life,” he added softly.

Ava didn’t say much the rest of the way home. She had such a nice time tonight, now the conversation about Helena had upset her. She felt tired and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. Helena was gone and there was nothing she could do about it. She knew she would have to let it go and learn to move on without closure.

Chapter 6

The Computer

Over the next few weeks Ava’s life on Orionis began to improve. She started to become used to her new routine and began to explore more of her surroundings. Work flowed well and by shopping at Infinity Ava started to put back on some of the weight that she had lost. As Naomi had said, Ava’s body became more physically acclimated to environment and she began to feel stronger. She saw her new friends only occasionally as they were out on various missions during the week, however they usually docked at Orionis at least once or twice a month. They had given Ava their messaging accounts that they could access from their PCDs and also their ship when it was in range so that they would be able to keep in touch with one another. Ava joined one of the workout facilities on Level 4 to kill time after work when she was most lonely. The memberships were free and it made it possible for Ava to be around people.

Ava had been dreading Wednesday this week for a long time. It was the anniversary of Nathan’s death and she started having difficulty handling it emotionally. She had tried many things to cope with the loneliness. She checked out a few affordable clubs that piqued her interest to see if she could belong. The writer’s club mostly consisted of people who wrote dark depressing poetry. The karate club frowned on Ava for not having enough stamina. Ava found the online gaming community even more isolated and lonely. After that Ava decided to give her search a rest and just stick with her workout class for the time being. On Wednesday, Ava went to work, which fortunately, was always busy. The clinic always seemed to be a reliable relief to escape the isolation. Afterwards, she went home. As she changed out of her work attire Ava glanced at her wedding photo on her dresser, the only one that she had brought with her. It had now been one year since she traveled to be with Nathan during a sudden illness, only to be too late. As she looked at the two happy smiling people in the photo the sadness took over. She had to get out, she didn’t want to be alone tonight.

Ava grabbed her wrist wallet and practically ran out the door. As she walked she debated where to go. Ava and Naomi were becoming good friends although Ava had never told her or any of the crew about Nathan. She wished she could talk to someone now, preferably Naomi, about it. Naomi was married, she would understand. It was a long shot, but perhaps The Andromeda was docked. Ava decided to find out. New residents were not allowed to travel until they had lived on Orionis for at least six months. In fact, they weren’t even permitted anywhere near the hangars that housed the incoming and outgoing ships. However, anyone could observe the ships and check the docking records from the public observation deck. Ava gazed around the hangar and then finally to the large monitors with the green letters and symbols. No Andromeda. Ava meandered slowly back to The Square. She stopped by a kiosk and bought a small bag of popcorn, a popular snack on Orionis. She wandered to a small bench nearby and sat down. Ava leaned over with her elbows on her knees and stared at the ground, mindlessly popping one kernel at a time into her mouth, chewing slowly each time. She observed the blur of footwear passing by anonymously until she noticed one pair of black boots approaching her slowly. As the boots came nearer Ava looked up and saw him.

“Wesley?”

“Hello, Ava. How are you this evening?”

“I’m okay, thank you.” She was surprised to see him. “I didn’t know you were on Orionis today.”

“May I?” He gestured to the bench. Ava scooted over and he sat down next to her. “Yes, I stayed behind this week to negotiate some new contracts with Orionis. We’ve been working steadily for them for some time now. I maintain an apartment up on Level 3 for instances such as this.”

“You mean your crew is out there with your ship doing a mission without you? Aren’t you worried that something might happen to them?” Ava tilted the bag of popcorn towards Wesley, who retrieved a small handful of kernels. He must really have faith in them, she thought.

He laughed softly and sincerely. “I’d trust Andre with my life. He knows that ship as well as I do. There’s nothing to worry about. They will all be back Friday night as scheduled. You should go out with us this weekend.”

“I’d like that.”

“That’s not your dinner, is it?” he said, referring to her bag of popcorn.

“Oh, no I was a little restless tonight. I just wanted to be out and about.” Ava smiled and tried to look cheerful, despite feeling the opposite and having no appetite.

“Well, I was just on my way to grab something when I saw you. Why don’t you join me?”

“I don’t know. I’m afraid I probably wouldn’t be very good company tonight.” She continued to look at the ground.

“You seem so sad, Ava. Come and have dinner with me and we’ll talk.” With that he gently slid an arm around her shoulders and guided her down the nearest avenue. They arrived at a dimly lit casual restaurant and Wesley asked for a booth in the back. The place was not crowded so they had plenty of privacy. Ava didn’t know what to think. She thought she would find being alone with him awkward, however it felt strangely comforting. He continued to make small talk with her until after they ordered their food and then he started asking questions.

“So, what has happened to make you so melancholy?”

“It’s kind of personal. You probably don’t want to spend your evening listening to me lament about my life.”

“Well, I’m willing to listen if you want to tell me. I spend most of my time on a ship with three couples in love. Believe me, I hear my fair share of drama. I can’t guarantee I can fix what’s wrong, but it might be good for you to get it off of your chest. And since this is your first consultation with ‘the Captain,’ I’ll waive the office visit fee.” He kept a straight face during his small speech.

Ava smiled a real smile for the first time that day. “I don’t know how you and your crew do it, but I always feel better when I’m around you.”

“That’s a good thing because we enjoy spending time with you as well.” He paused. “I wish we had more time together,” he said softly while looking directly into her eyes. Ava looked away. She couldn’t believe what he had just said. She wasn’t ready for that sort of thing yet. She decided to tell him about her life, he might as well know about all of the emotional baggage she carried around. Ava began her story as the food arrived. He ate with a healthy appetite and listened while she picked at her plate as she talked. She had tears in her eyes by the time she spoke about how she could not even say good-bye to Nathan.

“I’m glad you told me. I can see why you have been so sad. It sounds like you have had such a hard life. It took a great deal of guts on your part to move here and start over, . . . I sense that you feel very guilty about not being able to see him one last time. I promise you, Ava, wherever Nathan’s spirit is now, he knows you wanted to say good-bye and he understands why you could not be there, it wasn’t your fault. He would want you to forgive yourself.”

“Yes, I suppose so.” She looked down at the plate she had barely touched and realized Wesley was right. It did feel better to talk to someone. “Thank you for listening to me tonight. I do feel a little better.”

“Anytime.”

Ava studied Wesley as he took care of their bill and asked for a take home container for Ava. She was subconsciously comparing him to her late husband. He had a very different personality than Nathan and physically they were opposites. Nathan was older than Ava by only one year and stood 5’10” tall. Nathan never took an interest in working out and had an average thin build. He had hazel eyes, short light brown hair, and deep dimples. Ava loved his easygoing, warm, carefree, and comforting personality. He always viewed the cup half full and joked about life and its hurdles. This was the trait that Ava missed most about him, the ability to be happy, even when life went wrong. The man sitting with her now could not be more different. At 6’2” with a strong athletic build he practically towered over her. His dark features were striking and handsome. He seemed to have a sense of humor about life, however was quiet, gentle, and serious most of the time. He had the ability to be a natural leader and seemed to be intelligent with a strong will to be a ship’s commander. She could not help liking his calm, stable personality and good looks. Ava enjoyed her budding friendship with him, however his comment about wishing to spend more time with her worried her a little bit. She was not ready for a new relationship at the moment; however she did not wish to distance herself from him. She felt that she had made the right decision telling him about her late husband. Perhaps he would understand that she was uncertain when she would be ready for more. She decided to cross that bridge when she came to it.

Over the next few weeks Ava, Wesley, and the crew spent time together on the weekends. Naomi loved to shop and Ava enjoyed going with her, even if she could not afford to buy much. They had a lengthy mission next week and they did not inform Ava of where they would be going for confidentiality reasons. Wesley was not sure how long they would be gone from Orionis but promised Ava that they would contact her as soon as they landed back in the hangar. Ava missed them after they left but kept herself busy with work. In the evenings she enjoyed working out, looking around on the internet and watching the monitor. Having any type of noise in the apartment seemed to fill some kind of void, making her feel safe and not alone.

One day after work, Ava came home and prepared dinner. Afterwards she switched on the main computer that powered the personal monitor and the large flat screen television on her wall. The computer fired up however the screen was black and nothing happened. Ava waited a few minutes, switched it off and checked the cords and tried again, still nothing. For the third time, she thoroughly checked all of the ports and then the wires running in and out of the main computer and also the outlet itself. Ava could not figure out why the system was down. She checked her own portable PCD the clinic had supplied her with and found the system working normally wirelessly. She decided to power off the main computer and wait until tomorrow. The next evening the same thing happened. She had learned from her coworkers that day that they had not experienced any trouble with their computers the night before. Ava knew a computer technician at the clinic whom she could ask about the problem tomorrow. She missed Wesley and the crew, no doubt they would be able to diagnose the problem in about two seconds and have it fixed in no time.

At the clinic Ava found the computer tech, Nick, at the end of the day. He was a friendly young man with short brown hair and light brown eyes. He possessed a small, thin frame and looked to be about twenty years old. She explained to him what was happening with her computer over the past few nights.

“It sounds like your hard drive might be malfunctioning. If you want I can come over and check it out for you.”

“That would be great, Nick, thank you.” They chatted about the clinic and how their day went as they walked to Ava’s quarters. When they arrived, Nick examined Ava’s computer while she explained how she checked all of the ports and cords. After a few minutes he found the root of the problem.

“Yep, it’s your hard drive. They are only good for about four to five years. Looks like it’s time was up. You’ll have to get a new one for it to work again.”

“How much do you think something like that would cost?”

“A new hard drive will run you about 2200 credits, but I know a guy and I could find you a used one for around 1100.”

“1100 credits, wow!” Ava didn’t have that much saved yet. He must have certainly seen the surprised expression on her face.

“I know. Nothing’s cheap on Orionis.”

“I suppose it will have to be done. Can I let you know when I’m ready to buy one?”

“Of course. Just let me know anytime,” he said.

“Thank you for your time, I appreciate it,” Ava said with a smile. She handed him a few plastic credits that were used for tipping and such matters. His face brightened as if he weren’t expecting it. He smiled and thanked Ava as he left.

Ava sat down on her couch, leaned her head back and closed her eyes. That’s so much money, she thought as she sighed. If she scaled back on groceries, didn’t purchase anything unnecessary, and did not join any clubs, she might have enough saved in about six weeks. That seemed like such a long time to be without the internet and television, her only steady companions outside of work, but she had no choice. She stood up and went to the kitchen and began to prepare a simple dinner in the small silent apartment. Fortunately Ava could use the internet at work afterhours and during lunch to do her necessary tasks such as bill paying, check for messages, or to find information. She felt happy at work to be around patients and her coworkers. Although her patients were friendly and pleasant for the most part, Ava did not feel it was appropriate to try to be friends with any of them. It seemed like a line she did not want to cross. Her coworkers were another story. Sometimes they would get together for small social events outside of work, which Ava enthusiastically attended, however always felt distanced from them. She wondered if she would ever find her place on Orionis, or if she would always be someone on the outside looking in.

During the next few weeks she tried to spend time after work wandering around The Square or on some of the lower levels to keep herself occupied. She lost count of how many times she had tried to be friendly and start up a conversation other people who seemed to loiter near her or be interested in the things she were looking at in a store. Sometimes the strangers would be polite and spend a few minutes talking with her but that would be it. Others would simply say a few words and walk away. The population on Orionis was definitely not known for their outgoing friendliness. The end of the day was always the same; coming home to an empty apartment. By the third week without her computer, Ava could hardly stand it. She missed her friends from the Andromeda. It had been a month since they left and she had no contact from them. She wondered where they went and if they were ever coming back. She decided she would look over her possessions to see if there was something that she could sell to obtain the credits to fix her computer. She didn’t own much and decided after a quick sweep that the only things she owned worth pawning were the items she needed for daily living and the backpack Wesley had given her and she needed that. Ava sat down on her couch and ran her fingers through her hair and over her ear. Her earrings! Ava sat and thought about the only pieces of jewelry she owned, passed down to her from her grandmother. It saddened her to think of selling them although they must be worth at least 400 credits. She decided she was not ready to part with them; she would have to try harder to be strong and try to wait out the rest of the saving period.

The following day at work Ava was doing a routine procedure at the end of the day and a small amount of skin antiseptic splashed on her lab coat and soaked through onto her clothing. No matter how much she scrubbed at her blouse that evening the large stain would not come out. She would have to buy a new one. This would set her back in her savings for the new hard drive. Ava’s heart sank. She felt beyond tired of living in a silent apartment. She changed her mind about the earrings. If she sold them and purchased the hard drive, perhaps she could continue to save money and buy them back if they were not purchased by someone else. It would not take too long to save about 400 credits, she thought.

After work on Thursday, Ava made her way down to Level 6 where many small businesses were located. She remembered where the pawn shop, Trinkets, was. There were many pawn shops on Orionis however this one seemed to deal mostly in jewelry and other small personal items for women. Ava had removed her earrings the previous evening and cleaned them before putting them in a small box. She sadly walked up to the counter of the empty store and the clerk quickly arrived.

“Good evening. Do you need help buying or selling?” asked an older woman with graying hair coiled into a neat tight bun near the top of her head.

“Selling.” Ava set the box on the counter.

“These are very nice,” remarked the saleswoman as she pulled a jeweler’s loupe out of her coat pocket and examined the earrings. “These are genuine, very lovely.”

“How much would they be worth?”

“I can give you 650 credits for them. Would you like to sell?”

“Yes, thank you.” Ava’s voice had no emotion even though she was surprised that they were worth more than she thought.

Ava felt terrible about selling her grandmother’s earrings, however she could not stand the desolation of a quiet apartment every night and weekend. She resolved that could re-purchase them soon if she cut back on groceries. After the transaction she walked home slowly with tears welling up in her eyes.

The next morning Ava found Nick first thing and told him she had the credits to buy the hard drive. Nick assured her that he could deliver it to her tomorrow. Finally, Ava felt some relief that her dull, silent evenings would soon be at an end. Nick arrived before noon on Saturday with the hard drive. Everything went very smoothly. It took him all of twenty minutes to install it and sync it with the personal monitor and the wall mounted one. Once he determined that everything was working well Ava thanked him, paid him and he was on his way. She liked Nick, he was always pleasant at work and more importantly knew what he was doing. As soon as he was out the door she ran to the computer and started loading channels on her wall mounted monitor. It was nice to finally have some noise to fill the void. She sank onto the couch and took a deep breath.

Chapter 7

The Club

Into the next week Ava settled back into her usual routine and things seemed to return to normal. She no-longer dreaded coming home after work. It had been five weeks since she last heard from her friends on the Andromeda. Ava wondered if they were ever coming back. Flu season seemed to be in full bloom which kept Ava’s schedule booked and also caused her to work late each evening, which she didn’t mind. Another week had already passed by. The clinic was due for its annual safety inspection on Friday which meant that it would be closing early at noon. Ava completed her work and not knowing what to do with her free afternoon off, went home for lunch. She didn’t feel much like working out today. After eating, doing laundry, and cleaning the entire apartment, Ava decided to stretch out on the couch and rest. It was not long before she fell asleep.

A noise startled her and pulled her out of a strange dream. “beep beep, beep beep.” It took Ava a moment to realize it was her telephone, she seldom received calls. Ava got up slowly and went over to it.

“Hello?” Ava’s voice sounded mildly groggy.

“Hello, Ava.” She recognized his smooth voice instantly.

“Wesley . . . hi.”

“Are you okay, Ava? You sound tired.”

“No, I’m fine. I was taking a nap, that’s all.” She looked at the clock, already 6:30pm. She had slept for two hours.

“I’m sorry that I woke you. We just got in.”

Ava didn’t know quite what to say to him. He had been gone for almost a month and a half. Part of her was elated to be speaking with him and part of her felt hurt that he had been away so long without so much as a message. She hesitated and then he spoke again.

“I’m sorry it’s such short notice, but the crew and I are headed out for some dinner tonight and I wondered if you would like to join us?”

Ava glanced at herself in a mirror hanging nearby. She had changed out of her work attire into some old clothes after she got home to do her chores. She didn’t look anywhere near ready to go out. Perhaps they were starving from their long journey, she didn’t want to hold them up just because she needed to freshen up. “Unfortunately, I’m not ready to go out right now. If you guys are hungry now you should probably go without me.”

“How much time do you need? I doubt it would take you long to improve on perfection,” he said lightheartedly.

“Ha ha ha, very funny,” she chuckled. It appeared he was not going to take "no" for an answer tonight.

“I’ll come for you around 7:15 p.m. Will that be all right?”

“Okay, I’ll be ready. I’ll see you soon then.”

“See you soon.”

As soon as she hung up she rushed off to the bathroom to quickly shower and blow out her hair. She re-applied her makeup and wandered over to her small closet and chose some casual shiny black slacks, black boots, and a silver v-neck sweater. She glanced in the mirror once more; she was satisfied with her casual appearance. She didn’t know why, but she was suddenly a little nervous about seeing him again. Two quick knocks on the door signaled his arrival. Ava pushed the release next to the door and it slid silently open. He stood there as she remembered him; calm and serene gazing at her.

“It’s so nice to see you again. How are you?” He seemed to look her over as if he were checking to see if she was okay.

“I am well, thank you. It’s good to see you. You’ve been gone so long, I was beginning to wonder what happened to you.” She smiled shyly at him. She wasn’t sure if she should hug him or not. She had not hugged him in the past and decided against it now.

“I’m sorry about that. We had some lengthy assignments to complete. We’ll tell you all about it at dinner.” He stepped in closer to her and gently touched her right earlobe. He had noticed she was not wearing her earrings but he didn’t say anything about it. “I missed you,” he said softly. Ava was taken by surprise when he gently embraced her. She returned the hug and closed her eyes for a moment. She hadn’t hugged anyone since she said good-bye to Alexis before she left Earth all those months ago. The nerves that had been plaguing her seemed to melt away. It felt good to be held by someone and she could not think of anyone else she would rather be held by right now. She opened her eyes as he released her.

“We’d best be going. I hope you like spicy food,” he said with a smile. And then they were off.

The crew waited patiently for them outside of the restaurant on Level 5 talking and laughing as usual when they arrived. Everyone seemed to be as Ava remembered; happy, healthy, and hungry. Always hungry. Naomi came over and gave Ava a quick hug before they were invited in by the seating hostess. After they were seated, Wesley and Naomi began telling Ava about their assignments over the past several weeks. They had many pick-ups and deliveries from Earth and a few other stations and back. Aside from Orionis and Earth, they seemed to do a lot of business for Capristine, also referred to as “Capri” for short, one of the newest and sought after stations in orbit. Ava had hoped that would have been the station she was assigned to live on as it was known for its younger population and lively entertainment scene. She wanted to visit it someday.

After dinner Wesley walked Ava home. Ava decided not to tell Wesley about the ordeal with her computer. It was already over and there was nothing that needed to be done now. Instead they talked more about some of his past missions and what some of the other stations were like. He seemed very knowledgeable about the universe and the ins and outs of space travel. It made sense, after all it was his job.

“We’ll be heading out again on Sunday afternoon. But we should be back the following Saturday morning. I don’t think we’ll have any more lengthy assignments for a while.”

“I’m glad for that. I miss all of you when you are gone. Besides, my pseudo friends from the gym are nice, but we don’t really hang out,” Ava admitted.

She went to her combination aerobics and strength training class three times a week. Most of the participants were women, however there were a few young men in the group as well. Ava found the class a nice way to increase her physical endurance, especially since she had felt incredibly unconditioned when she first arrived on Orionis. Ava recognized one of the men in the class as the young man that was on The Solar Wind with her as the small group made their migration to Orionis. She only knew his first name, which was Sam. He had recognized her too and occasionally talked to her. He even asked her out once a month ago and she had turned him down, although she sensed that he remained interested. Ava also did not feel like telling this to Wesley. He probably would not be thrilled to learn that someone else had taken an interest in her. She and Wesley chatted a few minutes at her door and then hugged again before their time together was over. Tomorrow, he promised, they would all go to a show.

Orionis did not have a blooming theatrical or entertainment scene, however Level 8 had a small theater that hosted everything from occasional plays, movies, and even comedies. Tonight the group would be seeing a popular comedian and then heading to “Lotus” for some Mediterranean fare. The plan excited Ava. She hadn’t ever seen a comedian perform on stage before. The comedian was a great success. The house, as usual, was not sold out as shows were expensive. It didn’t matter though, the crowd that had gathered laughed and cheered happily. Ava felt relaxed. She found herself having a great time and could not remember the last time that she had laughed so hard. It felt good to let go of some of the tension. Dinner tasted equally exciting. Wesley and his crew never failed to introduce Ava to something new. In fact, it seemed that they enjoyed, and sometimes were amused, watching her reactions from the new experiences. At the end of the evening, Wesley walked her back to her quarters. He stayed a few minutes inside and they chatted on her couch. Every time she saw him she felt a little more comfortable with him. Tomorrow he would leave again and she would be alone. It was a cycle she would never get used to.

On Monday, Ava reflected on her life over the past year as she walked to work. Today was her birthday, she was now twenty-six years old. Despite her tribulations over the past several months, she was proud of her accomplishments with her new life. As she walked into the office and past the front desk, Mary, one of the secretaries stopped her.

“Good morning, Ava. There was a package delivered for you a few minutes ago. I signed for it and put it on your desk.”

“Thank you, Mary.” It was early and Ava wasn’t expecting a package. It was probably something work related. “Did you have a nice weekend?”

“It was very nice, thank you.”

“Have a good day,” Ava smiled at her and continued to her desk. She liked Mary, she was always friendly, helpful, and pleasant.

She arrived at her desk and saw a large, thick envelope sitting on her keyboard. Ava thought it strange to see an envelope as most transactions were strictly electronic in nature on Orionis due to limited resources. Paper products were recycled and rarely used. The envelope did not contain any information as to who the sender was. She opened it and inside found metal box with a small sealed envelope underneath. Ava decided to open the box first. She gasped as she recognized her grandmother’s earrings immediately. Her mouth dropped open, she could hardly believe it. They were exactly as they were a little over a week ago, except they had been thoroughly cleaned, most likely by the dealer, and in perfect condition. Ava quickly set the earrings down and tore open the unmarked envelope. The small note inside in large elaborate cursive writing simply read “Happy Birthday Ava” and was signed “W.” She couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t said anything to Wesley about what had happened to her with the computer incident during his long absence. She didn’t even know how he knew it was her birthday. He had spent a lot of money to buy her earrings back for her and now he was gone for the week, she wouldn’t even be able to thank him until Saturday. As confused and flattered as she felt, a wide smile spread across her face. She put her earrings back in her ears where they belonged and started her day feeling much happier.

The week passed by quickly. Ava could not wait until Saturday to see Wesley again and thank him. She also wanted to quiz him about how he knew she had sold her earrings, where they were, and how he knew it was her birthday. On Thursday, Ava went to the gym as usual. Sometimes she found that her workouts seemed to drag on forever, and other times they seemed to pass quickly. Thankfully, tonight was one of those nights. Afterwards as the class disbanded, she chatted a few minutes with some of the women. Apparently some of the single people in the class were getting together on Friday to go to “Labyrinth,” a club on Level 8. Ava had heard of it. It had a popular reputation and people went there for its mystical ambiance, mood lighting, interesting drink menu, and synthetic musical sounds. She actually wanted to go. Although she was invited, she decided to think more about it. As she turned to go to her locker, Sam approached her.

“Hi, Ava.”

“Hi, Sam.” Sam appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five. He was tall, perhaps around six feet with a lean muscular build. He had dark brown eyes and short medium brown hair. He seemed to have been blessed with charming manners and a pleasant smile. Overall, Ava found him to be a calm, laid back sort of person. In the few conversations that they have had, she discovered that he did some type of mechanical/industrial work on Level 6.

“Several of us are going to Labyrinth tomorrow night, would you like to come?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“You should come. I’ve heard the drinks there are amazing. They are also going to have a live band. Besides, wouldn’t it be nice to hang out with some friends instead of being alone on a Friday night?”

“Who exactly is going?” Ava asked matter-of-factly.

“I’m going, as well as Keith, Amber, Kelly, Alicia, and Travis, Caitlin, and Bret. It should be a good group. We’re meeting around ten.”

Ava hesitated. What would be the harm as long as there was a nice sized group? She didn’t want to find herself in a date situation with Sam. She was not interested in him in that way. She sensed something about him that seemed a little too “nice.” With that many people “dating” wouldn’t be an issue and she did want to try and make more local friends since her only close friends were in town on the weekends, and not even every weekend.

“Okay, I’ll go. I’ll meet you guys there tomorrow night.”

“Great, we’ll look forward to seeing you. Have a nice evening.” He smiled at her and went on his way.

Ava collected her belongings and made her way home. She was happy about tomorrow night. Since her friends from the Andromeda weren’t due back until Saturday, she enjoyed an opportunity to go out on a Friday night. With nine people from her class going she sensed it would be a fairly safe outing. The next evening after dinner Ava showered and readied herself for the club. She didn’t own many going out clothes so she kept her attire fairly simple; her favorite black boots, black slacks, and a draped neck white satin short flutter sleeved shirt. She let her dark shiny hair fall in its normal simple state. Normally Ava would add some tasteful drama to her makeup when she went out with Wesley and her other friends. Tonight, since she was meeting with a few friends from the gym, she kept her makeup muted and simple.

Ava found her way easily to the club. Level 8 bustled with activity in the club district, which was normal for a Friday night. Labyrinth certainly was not much to look at on the outside. The entire front was flat and black with one simple large door in the center. High above the door a few spotlights projected the club’s name “Labyrinth” in scrolled writing on the black wall. She presented her ID at the entrance and proceeded into the door with several other people. Dim electric blue lighting spotlighted the stage where the techno band played. Strategically aimed spotlights provided the rest of the visible light. A small dance floor occupied the space below the stage. Tall cocktail tables were scattered throughout the room for standing occupancy only with spotlights aimed down at the tops of the tables. The walls were lined with couches and lower tables. Finally, a bar took up almost the entire back wall. Despite the club being packed with people, Ava easily located her friends from the gym immediately congregating by one of the small couches near the left wall. She noticed a few of them were already drinking however they all seemed happy and excited to be there. Sam and Alicia were sitting next to each other on the couch talking and laughing. Ava approached Caitlin and Bret and joined in their conversation. Soon everyone was there. Being the odd one out, Ava circulated through the mini social circles forming within her group until she ended up talking with Sam and Alicia. After a few minutes Ava parted with the group to get a drink at the bar. She didn’t like to drink much, usually only having one as they were expensive.

While she waited in line at the bar a new band took the stage. They were very loud with a driving synthetic dance beat. Many people took to the dance floor immediately. As Ava turned to go back to the couch where her friends were, she noticed there was a new crowd in the space. She looked around and saw through the waves of moving bodies that some of her group had migrated to the dance floor, some had disappeared, and some were at the bar. Sam tapped her on the shoulder and motioned for her to come to one of the small standing tables with him.

“I’m not much of a dancer, how about you?” he asked half shouting to be heard over the noise. He sipped casually on his drink, which was full to the brim.

“No, I’m afraid not.”

“Apparently Alicia loves to dance.” He smiled as he pointed to her, she smiled and waved back as she noticed them watching her. She motioned to Ava and Sam to join her, but they declined.

Sam continued to make small talk with Ava while she enjoyed her drink. She wondered whether or not some of the others were ever coming back from the dance floor. She had wanted to avoid being alone with him. He asked her all about her transition to life on the station, how her job was going, and what she liked to eat. She answered his questions honestly but did not elaborate on any details and politely inquired about his adjustment to life on Orionis. He seemed pleasant enough, perhaps a little too eager to converse with her. He even seemed a little nervous. She suspected it was because he had asked her out before and she politely declined him. Ava finished her drink and set her glass on the table. The music slowed and Alicia returned to their small group, sweaty and out of breath.

“Would you like a drink, Alicia?”

“Yes, that would be great, thanks Sam!” she replied enthusiastically.

“I’ll be right back, don’t let them take my drink, I’m not done yet,” he pointed to his half empty glass on the table and walked away.

“Okay,” Alicia said.

“Did you have fun out there?” Ava asked Alicia.

“I love to dance. Sometimes it’s just good to get out and relieve some stress at the end of the week.”

“I know what you mean,” Ava glanced at the bar but did not see Sam.

“This club is fabulous. Too bad is has gotten a bad reputation lately.”

“A bad reputation? How?”

“I’m not sure exactly, just that a few months ago there was a report of woman being victimized here.”

“How?”

“I think she met someone she barely knew and ended up leaving with him. The next morning, she woke up not remembering a thing. She couldn’t press charges because she wasn’t sure what actually happened to her. It’s sad really.”

“That’s unfortunate. It just goes to show that you can’t be too careful these days.”

Sam returned after what seemed like a long time with two drinks of the same kind. One for Ava and one for Alicia.

“Thanks, Sam!” Alicia exclaimed.

“Yes, thank you. That was nice of you.” Ava hadn’t asked for another drink, but what the heck. Two drinks wouldn’t hurt. She promised herself that she wouldn’t stay too much longer.

Alicia happily chattered with Sam and Ava about work, her family drama, and all the while sipping frequently on her drink as she was thirsty. Ava, by habit, sipped hers slowly. It tasted good, like a sweet tropical fruit drink.

“Ava, have you made many friends since your arrival on Orionis?” Alicia inquired.

“Yes, a few.” She continued to sip her drink. It tasted so good she could hardly put it down. “Do you know any of the cargo transporters who come and go off of the station?”

“No, I never go near the hangar. I hate starships and space travel. It’s a miracle I even made it to Orionis,” Alicia said with a cringe.

Ava laughed, feeling amused by that statement. “I met some of the crew of the Andromeda several months ago and we have become pretty good friends. However, they come and go a lot.” Sam seemed to be watching Ava intensely, slowly rolling his drink between his hands. Ava did not notice. “They took me to see a comedy show last weekend.”

“Wow, that was nice of them! Who did you see?” Alicia seemed interested now. Ava continued to drink and divulge the details of the past Saturday, feeling proud that she actually had something interesting to talk about. After all, not many people could afford to go out to shows like that too often, except for Wesley and his crew, who always seemed to have credits to burn. She glanced at her watch. Was it really 12:30 a.m.? She thought she should be going home soon. She did not like to walk home alone in the wee hours of the morning. Something Wesley would never allow to happen, if he were around to prevent it.

Ava suddenly started feeling somewhat strange and noticed that she seemed to be tongue tied. She rarely had trouble finding words when she spoke but became acutely aware that she felt very tired. Another fast-paced song came on. The strobe and laser lights began flashing and gyrating around. Somehow Ava felt fascinated by this and started to laugh for some reason she could not explain. How could she be feeling this giddy so late on a Friday night?

“I love this song!” Alicia immediately ran out onto the dance floor and blended in instantly, leaving Ava with Sam.

“I think I should get going . . . home now.” Ava had set her glass down and was gripping the small table with both hands, looking down, almost leaning on it.

“Why don’t I see you home safely, I could walk you.”

“No, thank you. I’m fine. I think I just need some air.” What was wrong with her? She couldn’t possibly be drunk from having just two drinks. Ava tried to think, but her thoughts seemed muddled. She hesitated. She didn’t know what to do. Had Sam slipped her something in her drink? What should she do now? She had her PCD with her, she could contact the police on Level 8, if she could figure out which buttons to push. Everything looked like it was happening in slow motion. Then something bizarre occurred. She suddenly sensed that the club seemed to be filled with a powerful energy, as if the room felt like it could explode. No-one else seemed to notice. She had never experienced anything like it. Ava sensed she should be panicking but felt unusually calm. Sam apparently did not notice.

“I insist.” He started to walk around the table toward her and stopped abruptly as a tall man with dark hair suddenly approached Ava’s right side and put his left arm protectively around her shoulders.

“Wesley!” The electricity in his touch she hadn’t noticed much since they met almost shocked her now. Ava almost jolted and looked up at him with wide eyes but she did not release her grip on the table; she might lose her balance if she did. She wondered how he could possibly be here; wasn’t he due back in the morning? Wesley didn’t look at her, he broke his cold stare from Sam only briefly, to look down at the drink on the table and then back to Sam. Ava glanced around the room and thought she saw Naomi and Andre walking around on opposite sides of the room seemingly checking things out, but she wasn’t sure it was them. Why would they do that? She needed to leave as soon as possible, she started feeling faint.

“Ava, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” It sounded like an innocent polite request. Wesley still didn’t look at her. She could feel his anger, his eyes burned into Sam.

“Sam, this is . . . my. . .” She couldn’t think. She totally blanked, what was Wesley to her? She tried again. “This is my . . . Captain . . . Wesley.” She had no idea what she had just said. Something was terribly wrong.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sam replied nervously as he extended his hand. Wesley politely shook hands with Sam. He subtly gripped his hand like a vice. Sam’s nervous eyes widened with terror and his mouth dropped open in horror as Wesley’s effortless grip smashed an unknown number of the small little bones in his right hand. The intense loud music made it impossible for anyone to hear the sick cracking sound of breaking bones. No one noticed anything other than two people shaking hands. Ava felt too ill to observe anything, she leaned heavily on the table. Wesley released Sam, who promptly ran to the back of the club holding his right hand with his left, and turned his attention back to Ava. He looked down at her with worried eyes.

“Wesley, I don’t feel well,” she managed to say. She was getting worse.

“I know. Let’s get you home,” he said softly as he smoothed back the piece of hair that had fallen down over her face, gently guiding her out of the club. They walked out into the avenue of Level 8, very few people were out and about at this hour. The quietness and cool air helped a little, but it would not be enough. She leaned heavily on Wesley as they walked. Ava did not converse with him because she needed to use all of her concentration to stay steady. They had covered a decent amount of distance away from the club when she started to stumble. She did not feel sick to her stomach, but felt extremely dizzy.

“I think I’m going to faint.” She started to slide to the ground. Wesley picked her up in his arms and carried her without an interruption in their pace. She closed her eyes and the ringing noise in her ears ceased as she succumbed to the tainted drink she had been given. He continued to walk with her in this way for a short while, until he sensed that no-one was around. He changed his course quickly down a dark avenue that was deserted at this hour. Wesley selected a heavily darkened corner on a side street where there were no surveillance cameras and stepped into the shadows. He closed his eyes and within moments they vanished.

Chapter 8

Recovery

A few seconds later Wesley, with Ava still unconscious in his arms, materialized in the small living room of her quarters. He walked into her room and set her down gently on the bed. Sitting on the side of the small bed he fussed over her for a minute, repositioning her until he felt certain she looked comfortable. He reached down and pressed a few buttons on his PCD and then began to work on removing Ava’s boots. In a few minutes there were two quiet knocks on the front door. He could see it from his position in Ava’s room and quickly cast a brief look at it, which was all he needed to do for it to open. Rowan and Justin walked in quickly, the door sliding shut behind them. Justin carried a small medic bag and Rowan had a small backpack. They both headed straight for the bedroom.

“How is she?” Justin inquired, looking down at Ava as he placed the back of his hand and then his palm on her forehead.

“Terrible, she’s been drugged. What do you think she was given?” he asked in a concerned tone as he retrieved a small blanket from the closet nearby and laid it over her.

Justin leaned down hovering slightly above Ava’s lips and inhaled. “Smells like Rohypnol with a little GHB mixed in,” he said, naming two popular date rape drugs.

“What can we do? Is there an antidote?”

“There is nothing that is not intravenous; but that won’t be necessary. Usually something like this just needs to run its course,” he said solemnly as he checked her pulse, respirations, and blood pressure. “Her vitals are stable; she’ll have to sleep it off. Ava will be groggy tomorrow but she should be back to normal in a day or two. She most likely won’t have a problem going back to work on Monday.”

“I’ll never understand why humans intentionally do such appalling things to one another,” Rowan commented softly. “I’ve brought her some herbal tea and a few other small things she can eat tomorrow if she feels up to it. I’ll put them in her refrigerator.” There were two more quiet knocks on the door, Rowan opened it on her way to the kitchen. Naomi and Andre filed into the small apartment and then into the bedroom. “How is Ava?” Naomi asked with concerned eyes downcast on Ava.

“She will be all right in a day or two,” Justin replied.

“I should kill that little punk for this,” Wesley seethed.

“I wouldn’t go that far yet, after all we did stop him before any permanent damage was done,” Andre commented with a slight laugh.

“Where is he now?”

“We took him to the Orionis Central Authorities (OCA) department on Level 3. He still had the drugs on him so it was a piece of cake getting him arrested after we told them what he did. The OCA has a zero tolerance policy for that kind of thing as you know. He freaked out after you smashed his hand, and cried the whole time to the officers about it, it was actually pretty funny. Of course they didn’t believe him after they reviewed the surveillance video of you simply shaking his hand. Right now he’s being supervised in the emergency department at the OMC, having his hand evaluated. The authorities are planning on shipping him back to Earth first thing in the morning. We’ll monitor it and make sure it happens,” Naomi reported.

“Good.”

“Poor Ava. I can’t imagine how she would recover from this if we hadn’t found her in time. She never seems to get a break.”

“I’m just relieved that you sensed something was wrong with Ava, Naomi. I owe you a huge thanks.”

“We all love Ava, Wesley. None of us would want to see anything bad happen to her.”

The group continued to converse for a few more minutes until they decided to call it a night around 3:30 a.m. Justin took one last set of vitals on Ava before he, Rowan, Naomi, and Andre left, leaving Wesley to watch over her. He sat on the edge of her bed until he sensed that her breathing transitioned into a more awake pattern and then moved his vigil to the living room couch where he could still see her. He didn’t know how she would react waking up confused and finding him sitting on her bed, they didn’t have an intimate type of relationship like that at this point. On the way to the living room he paused and picked up the small picture Ava kept of herself and Nathan on their wedding day. He studied it briefly and set it gently back down in its place and continued to the couch. He pretended to watch television as she stirred slowly. After a few minutes she sat on the edge of her bed and looked around her, and then out to the living room where she saw him.

“Wesley?”

He stood up and moved towards the bedroom as she slowly walked towards the living room, stopping to steady herself against the doorframe of the bedroom.

“What are you doing here? What time is it?” She looked back at the small clock on her nightstand. It was 9:30 in the morning. She rarely slept this late.

“How do you feel, Ava?” He touched her face and rested his hand on her shoulder. She sensed his concern and knew by the way she felt that something was wrong.

“I feel so out of it. What happened last night? All I remember is that I went to a club with some people from the gym.”

“Yes, you did go to the club last night with some of your so called work out friends, to a place called Labyrinth on Level 8. A man named Sam Benton spiked your drink with combination of drugs. He was intending to rape you,” Wesley explained slowly.

“What! I don’t remember any of that. How could this happen. How could I be so careless and stupid! I don’t believe this. . . I have to notify the authorities!” She put her hand on her head and started to move towards the phone.

“It’s already been done. We took care of it all last night. When we found you at the club, I brought you home while Naomi and Andre caught the bastard and hauled him off to the OCA. The fact that he still had the drugs on him and the evidence from the club’s surveillance video was enough to prosecute him. The OCA is a twenty-four hour operation and they don’t tolerate crime under any circumstances. He was sent back to the authorities on Earth this morning and will never step foot on Orionis again. You don’t have to worry about him, he never touched you. Naomi said you can still contact the OCA if you have anything else you’d like to tell them, but that it wasn’t necessary since you were not seriously harmed. They are very hands off in clear cut cases like this for budget reasons I assume.” His explanation was upsetting and comforting to her at the same time. She started to cry.

“I knew there was something wrong with him. I’m so stupid. Why don’t I ever I listen to my instincts?”

“You’re not stupid, Ava. You were victimized. You could not have seen that coming. It wasn’t your fault.” He embraced her slowly, she accepted it.

“How did you find me? Weren’t you coming back today?”

“Actually, we finished up our assignment early and arrived back late last night. It was almost midnight and I didn’t call you because I figured you were sleeping. The crew was hungry and pumped up after a long mission so we decided to go out for some food and entertainment. That club seemed to be the only place open and Naomi suggested that we go in. We were surprised to see you. We knew something was wrong; you were hanging on to that table for dear life, practically hunched over it. The rest you know.”

“I’m very lucky then. Thank God for you,” she whispered in his ear.

Wesley left Ava after a few minutes, promising to return in the early evening to check on her. She wanted to shower, put on some clean clothes, try and eat something, and go back to bed. She had a terrible headache and still felt drowsy. Perhaps this is what happened to Helena, Ava thought sadly; unfortunately she had not been so lucky. The shower sobered her a tiny bit. She put on her pajamas and made her way to the kitchen. Not that she wanted to eat much; her throat burned with thirst more than anything. She saw the tea Wesley said Rowan had made for her and poured herself a small glass. It tasted so good, cool, minty, and refreshing with a hint of sweetness among a few other spices. She saw a few other things in the fridge that she did not recognize and pulled out one of the small containers that Rowan must have packed for her. She popped it open and found a small, neatly chopped fruit salad dusted with some spices. She drank some more tea and ate a few bites. The salad’s fresh flavors were a treat. Next to protein, fresh fruit and vegetables were the most expensive things to buy. Ava wondered if Rowan grew fresh fruit on the Andromeda. This was the first time someone had cooked for her since she left Earth. She didn’t feel like eating much so she put the lids back on the containers as she reflected back on her life since arriving on Orionis and went to bed. As she drifted off to sleep again, she remembered that she wanted to thank Wesley for her birthday present last week.

Ava woke to the sound of someone knocking on her door. She sluggishly got up and wandered over to it. She checked the security monitor and opened it as soon as she saw that it was Wesley. He walked in carrying some heavily packed re-usable bags, a strong aroma of Italian food wafted in after him.

“I thought you might be hungry,” he said as he smiled at her.

“A little. I’ve been sleeping all day. What time is it?” She felt a little self-conscious. He had never seen her sans makeup, with her hair un-styled, and in her pajamas.

“Almost six.” He set the food down on the kitchen counter and hugged her. “How is your head?”

“A lot better actually. At least the pain is gone and I don’t feel drunk anymore, just a little out of it.”

“I’m glad to hear that, I was worried about you all day.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine after tomorrow. Mmm, that smells good. What’s for dinner?”

He laughed, amused by her sudden change of subject. “Normally I’d offer you a nice wine with a dinner like this, but under the circumstances, I think we’d better stick with some iced tea.”

“That’s fine by me.” She smiled as she went to the kitchen to get some glasses, plates and utensils. He almost had everything unpacked when she returned.

“Did you try any of Rowan’s tea today?”

“Yes, it was excellent. Tell her I said thank you.”

“Sure.”

“Wesley, I realized earlier today that I haven’t thanked you for my birthday present,” she said as they ate.

“You’re very welcome. Happy belated birthday.”

“How did you know it was my birthday? I don’t even think I mentioned it. I almost forgot myself. And, how did you know I sold my earrings? How did you know where I sold them?”

“You’re very inquisitive tonight.” He replied, smiling at her. “You’ve been here for six months. I figured your birthday was probably coming around soon. I didn’t want to miss it so I looked you up on the ITO resident directory. All of the registered captains have access to it in case they need to locate someone. It lists your name, place of birth, date of birth, date of residence on Orionis, phone number, and level of residence. I was fortunate. I almost missed your birthday, it’s a good thing I looked. I noticed your earrings were missing last weekend so I decided to replace them. I didn’t think I’d replace them with the exact same pair. Naomi helped me look, she was the one who found them actually. That was just luck. Why did you sell them anyway?”

Ava accepted his explanation of things easily, it sounded reasonable and realistic. She told him the story about her computer hard drive going out and the expense to replace it, breathing a sigh of relief that the issue was behind her.

“I’m sorry that I was gone so long that I couldn’t help you with that. You must have gone stir crazy in here without any entertainment,” he mused as he looked around the small apartment. They finished eating, packed away the leftovers in the fridge and relocated to the small couch and turned on the large television monitor.

“Are you flying out again tomorrow?”

“Yes, we’re scheduled for departure at 4 p.m.”

“Of course,” she said softly as she stared at the monitor. She felt reluctant to admit to herself that she missed him, especially him, and also the rest of the crew during the week.

“Ava, do you have any plans next weekend that you need to be here for?”

Next weekend happened to fall on one of the few political holidays that Orionis celebrated. The OMC clinics and most non-retail businesses were closed on Monday. Ava hadn’t really thought about it much, she never had plans except when the Andromeda was stationed.

“No, I don’t think so,” she wondered what he was thinking.

“I know that next weekend is a three-day weekend and that you have lived here long enough to be allowed to travel. We have a short assignment next weekend on Capristine and I wondered if you would like to come with us. You could go shopping with Naomi and Rowan while I’m working. After the assignment is completed, which shouldn’t take very long, we could spend the rest of the weekend showing you around some new territory. I’m sure you would have a great time. What do you think?”

She hesitated. The thought of traveling for fun on a starship and exploring a new space station excited her, however at the same time made her nervous. She believed that she trusted Wesley, he was an experienced captain and a good friend, but after her close call with danger last night she had reservations about how much she could trust anyone. Interstellar travel could be dangerous, that’s why the captains and crews of starships were among the most highly paid people in the galaxy. She had no family or any other close friends that could help her out if something went wrong, and she didn’t have a lot of money. In addition, her feelings for Wesley were changing slowly, however she was still hesitant to fall into a relationship with him. If she stayed with him and his crew on the ship, would he take that as a sign she was ready?

“You can think about it and let me know tomorrow if you like,” he must have sensed her uncertainty. “We would depart Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. and I promise to have you back here by 4:30 p.m. at the latest on Monday. You would have your own quarters and bathroom on the ship. We have plenty of room; I’m sure you would be comfortable.”

“It sounds wonderful. I’d like to go. I’ve haven’t traveled a lot, much less in space. Can I check my schedule and give you my answer tomorrow?” She did not feel ready to explain her real reasons for not accepting the invitation.

“You certainly can. I could come by tomorrow to check on you before we leave. How does that sound?”

“That sounds good.”

It was past 10 p.m. and Ava started to feel tired again. She hinted to him that she was sleepy and wanted to go to bed. Understandingly, he left her to her rest with a simple hug.

The next morning Ava almost felt back to her old self again. As she ate breakfast, Rowan’s fruit salad, she pondered Wesley’s invitation to spend the weekend on Capristine, or “Capri” as it was called. Before being selected by the ITO to migrate to Orionis, she had hoped she would be sent to Capri, or one of the other more modern stations. Due to its flourishing economy, Capri had a reputation for fine dining, theatre, clubs, shopping, and many more luxuries than Orionis. One of Ava’s patients had told her that Orionis seemed like a military establishment compared to Capri. Wesley said he had an assignment on Capri, if she didn’t go with them it meant she would have to spend the long weekend alone; the thought made her sad. Perhaps if she paid them for her travel expenses, Wesley would take the hint that she still had reservations about moving their relationship forward. She checked her schedule and did not see any reason why she couldn’t be out of town over the weekend. She decided that she wanted to go with Wesley and would ask him if she could cover her own fare.

The day passed quickly. She made a quick trip to Infinity for some groceries and then spent the rest of the early afternoon tidying her apartment. Wesley arrived around two o’clock to check on her as promised.

“You look so much better today. How are you feeling?” he inquired as he walked inside.

“Almost one hundred percent. I’ll be fine tomorrow, I think.”

“Good. Naomi and Andre say ‘hi.’ Naomi’s been worried about you. She’ll be happy to know that you are doing well.”

They sat down on the couch angled to face each other and continued to chat amicably. The time always passed so quickly when Wesley was there. After a few minutes he asked Ava if she had come to a decision about Capri.

“I was wondering if I could pay you for my travel expenses and lodging for the trip?”

He seemed a little taken aback at the question. “Ava, I had no intention of charging you for your passage. We are going to Capri for an assignment. I just thought that maybe you’d like to hitch a ride with us and take a break from this place, to get out and have some fun, especially after what happened to you this weekend.” He looked into her eyes as he spoke calmly and softly. She could tell he wasn’t angry or offended, however there was a hint of disappointment in his voice.

“I’m sorry, Wesley. I just. . . I have a difficult time trusting people. I want to go with you but I worry.”

“I understand your concern. You don’t have to go if aren’t comfortable with the idea, I’m not going to stop being your friend if you decide not to. However, I don’t think that is the only reason you have reservations about traveling with me.”

He guessed it and as she thought about what to say next, he spoke again. “Ava, we’re good friends. That’s not going to change until you want it to. Going on a trip with us will be no different than any other time you spend hanging out with us. You can trust me, and my crew. I promise we will take good care of you, as always,” he said smiling warmly at her.

“Okay. I’m in. I would love to go with you,” she said resolutely. She had made up her mind. What will be, will be. She had no reason not to trust him.

“You’re sure? There is zero pressure here.”

“No, I’m sure. I want to go.”

“Excellent!” She sensed his genuine happiness. He didn’t have much time left before he had to be back to the Andromeda for departure and proceeded to fill Ava in on some important details of space travel. He advised her of the online passport forms that she would need to complete for security purposes, and what things she could and could not bring through the hangar security. After taking a few mental notes she hugged him, wished him a safe trip and then he was gone. The next time she would see him would be when he came to escort her to the Andromeda for her first journey off of Orionis. She could hardly wait.

Chapter 9

The Andromeda

On Monday Ava returned to work ready to put the terrible events of Friday night behind her. Although she felt better, she became perhaps more cautious than ever before. As she walked to the OMC she let her thoughts wander. She felt so alone without her friends from the Andromeda stationed there and made a decision to try and join a self-defense class when she returned from her trip to Capri. She did not know whether or not she wanted to return to the gym anytime soon to see any of the women she had tried to be friends with. They didn’t want to stick together at the club, each breaking off and going their separate ways. Maybe Ava was just used to the organization, support and unity of the crew. It was a group that she wanted to belong to and it felt as though she belonged there.

After work Ava set to work completing the necessary online documents needed for travel. She wanted to wait a few more days before packing and decided that she would take the backpack Wesley had given her along with another small bag she had recently acquired. Much to her relief the week passed smoothly and quickly. As each day came to a close, she became more excited about her upcoming adventure. She wanted to buy a new outfit for the occasion, however decided to wait until they arrived on Capri, so that she could buy something new there. One of the few good things about the ITO was that it was organized. An ITO issued ID/Credit card was valid on Earth and any of the space stations and mass transit systems in orbit. Credits were the same no matter where you went, however prices were not. What could cost you a few credits somewhere could be very expensive somewhere else. Wesley had told Ava that Orionis was one of the more expensive places to live. Ava’s mind piqued with curiosity to see what Capri was like.

On Friday Ava stayed very focused and worked hard at the clinic to keep on time so that she could complete all of her charting and messages before leaving for the weekend. She did not want to run late because of the short window of time between the end of the day and the Andromeda’s departure. She wanted to have time to take a quick shower to freshen up, eat a quick snack, and complete any last minute packing before Wesley came for her. Luckily everything worked out. He arrived at her door promptly at six. She felt strange and excited as they walked away from her small quarters, she had never been away from it overnight before. Wesley carried the heavier of the two bags as they walked and briefed her on what to expect at the hangar when passing through ITO security. The enormous hangar seemed alive with activity. Ava recognized the small ITO office she passed through only six months ago and studied the numerous monitors with the bright green letters and symbols. They passed through security smoothly, the officers were apparently used to seeing Wesley coming and going as they barely looked at his ID, however they did check Ava’s ID and online passport because it was her first time traveling. They continued down the hangar and Ava obtained her first close up view of the Andromeda.

The large sleek silver ship loomed above her as they walked nearer. She was in awe of its magnificence. Various scattered lights formed a blinking line around the perimeter of the ship. The Solar Wind seemed to pale in comparison to this magnificent sight. Wesley smiled proudly as he realized how impressed she was. Ava could see Rowan overseeing a few crates of what looked like food being delivered last minute and Naomi sat at a small computer terminal not far from the lowered entrance ramp typing something into the invisible flat keys. “She’s entering our ship into the queue for departure.” He gestured to Naomi. “Orionis has a massive hangar, but it’s congested. We have one of the larger ships so we have to coordinate with the ITO Control System so that we can take off without crashing into one of the smaller ships either coming or going.” Naomi finished her task and as she stood up and moved away the small terminal lit up and sank down into the floor, leaving a small illuminated circle where it had been. She saw Wesley and Ava and gave her a hug as they approached.

“How are you, Ava? Much better, I hope. I’m so happy you decided to come with us. I desperately need a new shopping partner,” Naomi joked.

“I’m doing well. I’m so excited to be here! The Andromeda is beautiful, I can’t wait to see what it looks like on the inside.”

Andre appeared in the ship at the top of the entrance ramp. “Let’s move it people, we’re up soon. Hi Ava! Don’t worry, we won’t crash tonight, Ash is doing the driving instead of Wesley.”

“Very funny, honey,” Naomi replied.

“He’s kidding,” Wesley defended.

“Well, let’s get going then, we’ll be departing in a few minutes and we need to get you buckled up,” Naomi said, taking Ava’s arm and guiding her up the ramp, Wesley following behind.

Their appropriately timed humor put Ava at ease. She laughed with them as she boarded the ship. A rush of cool air hit her when she and the others stepped over the threshold into the ship, the door slid shut almost immediately behind them. Wesley took Ava’s travel bags off to her quarters on his way to the flight deck. She noticed the freshness of the air immediately as Naomi escorted her to her seat in the observation deck for lift off. “The air smells so pure and refreshing in here. It makes the air on Orionis seem downright stale. Why is there such a difference?”

“It’s easier to purify air for a small vessel such as this ship compared to an entire space station, plus we have our own oxygen garden. Capri is a much smaller station than Orionis, you’ll find you notice a difference in the air quality there as well. Either way, I think anything beats the air quality on Earth right now,” Naomi explained as she assisted Ava to buckle the safety harness. There were only a few moments before departure. “After we are safely in Orbit, Andre and I will give you a tour of the ship and show you your quarters for the weekend.” Naomi took the seat next to Ava, buckled up, and pushed a few buttons on her armrest. A monitor slid into view in front of them lit up with a live feed of the hangar. There were no outside windows on the sides of the ship, only numerous camera lenses at various angles, which were able to give the captain and crew of The Andromeda any view that they would like at any given time. The front and rear of the vessel were equipped with windows, the front for the cockpit, and the rear for the oxygen garden to allow sunlight to shine in. Ash announced over the intercom that they were about to lift off. As the Andromeda took off Ava could not believe how smooth and seemingly effortlessly the ship pulled out of the hangar into space. She was unable to watch space travel on The Solar Wind because there were no monitors showing a view of the outside. This time she could not tear her eyes off the monitor. The ship glided slowly away from Orionis. Naomi pressed a few more buttons, giving them a view of Orionis as they pulled away. Ava stared in awe and thought the station looked beautiful with its glowing rings, the gravity stabilizers, angled protectively around it. She could see stars in every direction in the distance, almost like small cities themselves shining against the darkness of space.

The Andromeda hummed loudly as it picked up speed. “We’re about to make the jump to absolute velocity, then the computers will take over to navigate us. We won’t be able to look outside at that speed, all we would see is a black blur,” Naomi explained. Ava flinched as the ship pushed forward, pressing her back into her seat. Then, almost immediately the monitor went dark and the sensation and air pressure stabilized. The ship hummed gently and everything seemed peaceful. Naomi unbuckled her safety harness and motioned for Ava to do the same. “Are you ready for the grand tour?” Naomi asked cheerfully.

The first stop was the flight deck where Wesley, Andre, and Ash were overseeing the flight details and coordinates. The room seemed enormous with numerous monitors, computers, flashing lights of multiple colors, and the large windows that appeared black. They chatted for a few minutes and then moved on, with Andre joining the party. They took Ava to the kitchen and dining hall, also a large structure. Naomi took out three silver metal glasses and poured some water out of the refrigerated water dispenser for them. Ava could not believe how fresh and pure it tasted. It was probably the best tasting water she ever had. “This water is so refreshing and delicious, how do you get it so pure?” she asked Naomi and Andre.

“We put it through a more rigorous filtering system than the stations can afford to. Plus, we occasionally refill on Earth as well as several of the other stations in addition to what our oxygen garden supplies us. That’s why it tastes a little different,” Andre explained lightly. All of the passages were brightly lit and well marked. As they were leaving the kitchen, they greeted Rowan and Mia on their way in to start the crew’s dinner. Andre and Naomi showed Ava the recreation rooms, the common rooms, the workout facility, the den, which also doubled as a library, the stairwells and passageways, the massive cargo hold, and the oxygen garden. Ava inhaled the fresh sweet warm air as she and her companions stepped inside the garden. The air quality seemed unmatched to anything she had ever breathed. She had also never seen such beautiful green plant life. As they walked through the garden she gently reached out and touched some of the small tomatoes that were growing. “Amazing,” she said. After a few minutes of walking in the neatly manicured garden, Ava began to feel lightheaded. She stopped and put her hand on her head. Andre and Naomi immediately took hold of her arms on each side and quickly escorted her out of the garden and into the main passageway where they sat her down on the floor. The flashing lights Ava had begun to see passed.

“I’m sorry, Ava, I forgot that you are not used to breathing air with such a high saturation of oxygen, no wonder you started to feel dizzy,” Naomi apologized sincerely.

“It’s all right, I’m fine now. I’ve never seen a garden like that. Can I still see the rest of the ship?”

“Of course, we’re ready when you are.” They helped her up to her feet. Ava marveled at the numerous interconnected levels of the ship, which seemed confusing to her at first. After a few more stops, Naomi and Andre showed her the cabin that would be her quarters for the duration of the trip. The ship had numerous cabins scattered throughout the ship, however Ava’s cabin was located on the lower level, down the hall from Naomi and Andre’s Cabin. “Wesley’s cabin is on the first level, nearest to the flight deck,” she explained. At the push of a button on the door frame the door slid open. “Your cabin number is 3 and you can use this keypad to enter your own security code to lock the door if you like, just please remember to erase it when you leave on Monday, I have an override code, but it’s a pain to run,” she explained. A small bed occupied the cabin against the center of one wall, opposite a monitor on the other wall. The monitor hung in between a small closet and the bathroom; which consisted simply of a toilet, sink, mirror, and shower stall. On one side of the bed was a small dresser and mirror and on the other a small desk and chair. The walls and the furniture seemed to be made of a shiny silvery aluminum like material. The comforter on the bed brought the only color to the room, a bright blue hue. Naomi’s PCD beeped; it was Rowan reminding the small group that dinner was ready.

“We eat in two shifts so that the flight deck and other duties can be covered,” Naomi mentioned cheerfully. “I believe Wesley will be joining us now,” she said with a coy smile. Ava smiled back as they left for the dining hall.

“Did you enjoy the tour?” Wesley inquired as he greeted her in the dining hall. He seemed relaxed as he smiled at Ava.

“Yes, your ship is extraordinary! I can’t believe how much space you have, and so much to do for fun. I’m so jealous.”

“Is your cabin okay.? If it isn’t to your liking, we could move you . . .”

“No, it’s wonderful. I’m sure I will be very comfortable there,” Ava interrupted. With that the group fell into their familiar pattern of joking, eating and talking about their plans for the weekend.

After dinner Wesley invited Ava to the recreation room with Naomi and Andre to compete in a virtual reality digital video game played in teams. Ava had only seen these types of games played watching the news back home and was delighted to be able to try one. The object of the game consisted mainly of pairs fighting their way through different jungle levels discovering clues, and weapons that eventually lead to the retrieval of a lost homing beacon which would signal a starship to rescue you. The difficulty rested in defeating the “aliens” that would try and capture or kill you during your mission. If you were captured your partner had to try and rescue you in order to keep moving and progress through the level. Naomi and Andre easily beat Ava and Wesley’s team because Ava kept being captured. After about an hour, Ava was exhausted and a little frustrated because she could not keep up with the others, try as she might. The others appeared to have super fast reflexes, or maybe they were just more experienced at playing the game. She had a great time and after a while it became a funny joke each time she was captured. The game was very active with a lot of running, jumping, climbing, and punching motions. The virtual reality part made it all seem eerily realistic and almost terrifying at times. The aliens appeared especially menacing. They were large, slimy, greenish brown creatures with long extremities and sharp claws. Their shrieking and growling noises started to disturb Ava after a while as she sometimes had nightmares involving aliens.

When they called it quits on the game, Naomi and Andre left Ava with Wesley and they sank down onto the comfy couch to watch the news of whatever local station the ship could pick up. After a while, he escorted her back to her quarters to get some rest. Naomi had promised Ava a full day of shopping while the others completed their assignment. Ava washed her face, changed into her pajamas, and set the alarm for 9:00 a.m. as Wesley had instructed her to relax and sleep in because they would not land until 10:00 a.m. The bed, although not much larger than what she was used to, felt much more comfortable. She usually had trouble adjusting and resting in beds that were not her own, however this time she found sleep just after her head touched the soft pillow.

Chapter 10

Capristine

The next morning Ava showered, dressed, and found her way up to the dining hall with relatively little difficulty. Rowan, Justin, and Ash were eating breakfast. Andre, Wesley, Naomi, and Mia were readying the ship for landing.

“Good morning, Ava, did you sleep well?” Rowan inquired.

“Yes, very well thank you. How are you this morning?”

“Wonderful, as always. We’ll be approaching Capri soon. Would you like some breakfast before we have to prep you for landing?”

“That sounds great, thank you. Rowan, is Capri much like Orionis?”

“Not at all. It’s a bit more sophisticated, and the population seems younger. Residents average in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties.” Ava listened and ate while Rowan continued. “The overall ambience is much happier and less strict than Orionis. I think you’ll enjoy your visit. Oh, we’d better get you up to the observation deck to be seated, Naomi will be looking for you.”

As the ship slowed in its approach to Capri, Naomi showed the view from the outside cameras to their monitor. Capri, being a smaller and more modern station, did not have the gravity stabilizing rings like Orionis. Ava could see that the station appeared to emit a faint red glow, as if the sun were setting on it.

“You’ll find that the people here are much livelier than what you are used to. There is definitely more entertainment for the general public here,” Naomi commented. “Capri does not have the clear cut levels like Orionis. They are all interconnected and divided into districts. They are organized around the central shielded nuclear core, which supplements the solar power. However, like Orionis, there are oxygen gardens and farming gardens located on the outermost perimeters of the station. The largest sports stadium in the galaxy resides here. The people who live here aren’t as poor as they are on your station because of the stadium, it is a big tourist attraction and provides a lot of jobs for the residents. The ITO strictly monitors visitors from the other stations, so you’ll be asked to show your ID a lot. They will scan it when we land, each time we pass through security, and again when you leave. Like Orionis, their security system monitors for visitors that have not checked out within two weeks, to protect their census levels. Many people who come here want to stay and live here. They often have to hunt down unauthorized people who fail to leave as scheduled or intentionally try to stay. Don’t be surprised if you witness some bizarre manhunts or chases when we are walking around. The Capri authorities work closely with the ITO and they are authorized to shoot to kill anyone who attempts to evade them or who are attempting to hide. All of the stations have such delicate ecosystems that sometimes brutal force is necessary to maintain the balance. Overcrowding can be catastrophic to a station’s overall well-being. I think that Earth II will be no different when it’s completed.”

“How many space stations are there?” Ava inquired. “When I applied for transport with the ITO, the only places that I was allowed to apply for were Orionis, Capristine, and Antares.”

“There are officially seven if you count Earth II. Their names are Sceptrum, Polaris, Orionis, Zaniah, Antares, and Capristine.”

“Have you been to all of these stations?”

“Yes, we’ve had business from all of them from time to time,” she said softly.

“Do you have a favorite?”

“Right now it’s Capri, because I love to shop. I’m looking forward to seeing what Earth II will have to offer, . . . I know what Wesley’s favorite station is.”

“Which one?”

“For a while now it’s been Orionis,” she teased. Ava laughed.

“It must be so nice to be able to travel about freely from place to place and not have to stare at the same four walls all of the time.”

“I suppose so. However, space travel is not without its risks. Here we are, get ready for your first view of Capri.”

The ship glided effortlessly into the hangar and landed gently. Naomi and Ava unbuckled their safety restraints and headed back to their quarters to get their IDs and small backpacks to spend the day shopping. Next, they headed up to the flight deck to say good-bye to Wesley and Andre.

“Enjoy your shopping this morning. Stay close to Naomi, she knows her way around, and she has a PCD so she can contact any one of us at any time. We’ll be done transferring the cargo about 2:00 p.m. or so. We’ll meet up with you after lunch and show you around some of the more interesting things to see here.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later then. Thank you!” She gave him a quick hug before leaving with Naomi.

Naomi and Ava walked down the ramp into the busy hangar and waited in line at the ITO security checkpoint to be cleared for admittance. After a few minutes Naomi led Ava through several avenues to the nearest tram station where they boarded and were on their way to the shopping district. Ava remained silent for most of the trip, trying to take it all in. The environment differed a great deal from Orionis. The temperature felt warmer and the oxygen saturation was higher. The more energy efficient lighting system provided much brighter and more natural light in comparison to Orionis. People seemed to be everywhere. After a few minutes Naomi and Ava exited the tram and continued to the shopping district on foot. The stores were arranged down avenues meeting at angles with large circular common areas which housed many of the restaurants. Some of the common areas even had small bio-domes in the center with plant life and even colorful blooming flowers. Ava stopped to observe one for a few minutes. She rarely saw fresh flowers in bloom, how beautiful and uplifting she thought.

Naomi took Ava to a few of her favorite stores and the two of them had fun trying on clothes and browsing at all of the merchandise. Naomi bought a few things for Andre and a couple of outfits for herself. Ava found a few new clothes for herself and was happily surprised that the prices were somewhat lower than the stores on Orionis. Next, they stopped for lunch at a small bistro and sat “outside” on the patio area so that Ava could observe the environment and the people walking by. Naomi wanted to have her hair cut and took Ava to “Gemini.” It had been a while since Ava’s last hair cut so she decided to treat herself and had a few inches trimmed off. Her hair was so long now that by removing even a few inches, the cut made it feel much lighter and refreshed. Naomi’s PCD beeped as they left the salon.

“Wesley and the others are on their way,” she said as she looked at the device. “We’ll meet them at a nearby intersection one level up.” She pressed a few buttons quickly to communicate this with them and they were on their way. Ten minutes later the group was re-united again. Ava observed as they discussed what they wanted to do with the rest of the afternoon and for dinner. Suddenly, the group’s conversation came to an abrupt halt and each member of the crew looked sharply to their left as if they sensed something. Ava followed their gaze and saw a brown haired, blue-eyed man of medium build and height approaching casually. She watched as Wesley, Andre and Justin exchanged quick glances. Naomi, who had been standing a few feet away next to Andre, seemed to have drifted to Ava’s side. The group deliberately resumed their discussion and nonchalantly moved positions so that they faced the stranger with Ava and Naomi at the rear. The man smiled widely as he came to stand a few feet away from Wesley.

“Captain Robinson, I thought I saw your ship in the hangar. How nice to see you again, it’s been years.” The stranger had a smooth, pleasant voice.

“Bryant, my old friend, how have you been? It has been a long time. From the looks of things I’d say you are doing all right,” he replied politely.

“Yes, quite. Well, it looks like a family outing. Everyone is here, even Naomi is here.” His eyes serially rested on each member of the crew, then lingered on Naomi, and finally on Ava. An ever so slight puzzled expression appeared briefly on his face.

“What brings you to Capri, Bryant?” Andre asked matter-of-factly.

“I’m staying on the station for a little while on business. I imagine I’ll be here for at least a few more weeks.”

Wesley and Andre, along with a few of the others, continued to converse with this stranger. Ava observed that everyone was calm, however there seemed to be some slight tension in the air. Naomi turned to Ava and mentioned that she forgot to buy one of the spices Rowan wanted her to get today and asked her to come with her quickly to get it.

“What about the others?” Ava asked.

“It’ll just take a few minutes, the store is right over there, I remembered as soon as we passed by it on the way here. They will be talking for a few minutes anyway,” she said lightly.

“Who is that man?” Ava inquired as they walked away towards the store.

“Oh, that’s Bryant. We’ve known him for some time. He used to be part of the crew a long time ago, but I wouldn’t exactly call him a team player. Anyway, to make a long story short, he and Wesley had a falling out and Wesley ordered him to leave. I’m not sure what he’s been up to ever since.”

“He seemed pleasant enough.”

“Yes, he’s quite polite. Flattery is his specialty.” She paused. “Don’t worry Ava, he won’t make any trouble for us here. He’s probably curious to know what we have all been doing over the past several years. Oh, here it is,” Naomi found the spice and pulled the small container off of the shelf and walked over to the clerk to pay for it.

When they walked back to the group, the stranger was gone. “I’m sorry about that interruption Ava, are you ready to see more of Capri?” Wesley said with a minimal smile as she and Naomi returned. He looked at ease, as if nothing had happened however kept a cool distance from her.

“What did you have in mind?”

“They have a nice Earth Museum on the other side of the station and it’s close to The Lacerta Bistro, where we all agreed to have dinner, if that’s okay.”

“That sounds great, I went to an underground museum once on Earth when I was little, but I’m sure there will be more interesting things here.” She smiled at him and wondered if his coolness towards her had anything to do with the stranger that had disappeared. She shrugged it off, she was having a great time seeing the sights on Capri. At any rate, it sure beat the routine weekend activities on Orionis and she felt thankful for the company of her good friends.

As the group moved away, they did not indicate an awareness that they were being watched, but they knew. Mia and Ash chattered amicably, engaging Ava, while Rowan and Justin carried on their own conversation. Naomi and Andre walked in silence.

Bryant’s curiosity about the group’s seemingly new member intrigued him. His ability to maintain invisibility worked for only short variable periods of time, long enough this time for him to follow and observe his former friends as they disappeared into the crowds of people.

Wesley walked ahead of the group and did not talk much to anyone on the way to the tram. The group had planned to split up for the evening, but now felt it would be safer to stick together tonight, in case Bryant continued to stalk them. Wesley did not want to give a visible impression that Ava meant much to him. The thought that this unpredictable loner, one of his kind, had seen him associating with a natural born human was suspicious enough, because it was something he never did.

Once the tram was in motion, the group resumed their normal jovial behavior. The rest of the evening excited Ava. She found the Earth Museum fascinating, and also sad. It grieved her to see some of the artifacts and explanations displayed with them of how life, and the planet Earth, used to be. One day soon, Earth will no-longer be inhabitable for the human race. She was comforted by the recent news that her old friend, Alexis, and her family will be migrating to Antares. Ava’s success on Orionis convinced Alexis and her husband, Marc, to apply for migration, and since he specialized as an orthopedic surgeon, they were placed near the top of the list as they were in high demand there. Ava was disappointed that they were not migrating to Orionis and wondered if Wesley might be able to take her to Antares to visit them one day. Later, after a leisurely dinner, the group made their way through the ITO security station at the hangar entrance back to the ship for the night. It was late and the crew pretended to separate and call it a night, only to reconvene in the common room after Ava fell asleep.

“Well that was certainly unexpected,” Justin commented.

“I had no idea that Bryant was here. I should have sensed his presence as soon as we stepped off of the ship this morning, but I didn’t. I’m not as strong yet as I was before,” Naomi commented, disappointed in herself. “Either that or he’s gotten better at concealing his energy.”

“It’s okay Naomi, no-one blames you for anything. None of us sensed it either. Besides, Bryant is harmless, what could he do with all of us around?” Andre said as he wrapped his arms around her playfully.

“What now?” Rowan asked.

“We could pretend an assignment has come up and take Ava back to Orionis early,” Ash suggested.

“That’s not a bad idea, at least we know Bryant won’t follow us there, he hates Orionis,” Mia added. “What do you think Wesley?”

“I think we are going to continue with our plans this weekend,” Wesley said quietly. “If we leave now, Bryant will become even more interested. You know how he can’t keep his mouth shut and that he also loves to meddle in other people’s business. Besides, Ava would be disappointed, I know she’s having a great time. It’s taken so long to build her trust in me, I don’t want to let her down, or give her a reason to think something’s wrong.”

“We’ve all sensed Bryant’s energy today, we should be able to feel it if he comes near us again,” Andre added.

“That’s true,” Naomi agreed.

“I’m not worried about Bryant attacking us. I’m more worried about who he’s friends with these days,” Wesley said.

“You don’t think he would mention something like this to Xavier do you? We haven’t seen him in over ten years, who knows what he’s doing now. What if he found out about Ava?” Justin said.

“I doubt Bryant would purposely seek him out. If Xavier was around I would certainly know about it. We simply can’t let him find out about Ava, that could be disastrous,” Wesley commented.

In the end, the group decided to continue their plans for the remainder of the weekend, keeping out a vigilant eye and awareness for Bryant. Wesley decided it would be best to keep Ava away from the shopping district in case Bryant decided to look for them there again. He would stay with Ava, along with Mia, Ash, and Rowan while Naomi, Andre, and Justin would go about their own business, looking out for their unwelcome former crewmember.

In the morning Ava met some of the group in the dining hall for breakfast around 9 a.m. “Good morning everyone.”

“Morning, Ava,” Mia replied. “Are you ready for more sight-seeing?”

“Absolutely, Capri is so vibrant and interesting compared to Orionis. I think I will be sad to leave. What are the plans for today?”

“Be prepared for lots of walking,” Rowan said cheerfully as she sat Ava’s breakfast down in front of her.

“Thank you, Rowan, I could have gotten that.”

“No problem. First, we are going to see the Capristine Art Gallery. They have all kinds of artwork from Earth’s most famous artists over the centuries. After that we will be heading to the theatre district to see an opera. They are usually pretty good on Capri. Finally, we will all meet up for dinner at Crescent Moon, one of the more romantic restaurants this station has to offer.”

“We are all meeting for dinner, you mean not everyone is going to the art gallery?”

“Well, Naomi, Andre, and Justin have a few things they wanted to take care of while we are here. They’ve seen it before. We’ll see, they may or may not join us for the opera. Wesley will be with us all day,” Rowan explained.

“I wouldn’t miss this day for anything,” Wesley remarked as he sat down with his breakfast next to Ava. “I hardly ever get to spend an entire day with you.”

“Good morning, Wesley. It sounds like it’s going to be an awesome day. Did you have a restful night?” she asked.

“Very restful,” he said reassuringly.

The activities of the day began as planned. At the art gallery Wesley and Ava broke off from the others and wandered around observing the various types of art that had been transported here from Earth to preserve them from destruction. Wesley proudly informed Ava that he and his crew had been responsible for the safe transport of many of the works on display here. Of course he and his crew had been to the gallery many times before over the years. He was excited to share this visit with Ava, who was seeing these impressive works for the first time. He treasured the reactions on her face as she viewed each piece. As their time in the gallery neared the end, Wesley gently took Ava’s hand and led her to see some of his favorite works before they left.

The others did not join Ava’s group for the opera, but they still had a wonderful time. Despite the lyrics being sung in Italian, Ava was amazed by the acoustics and how beautiful everything from the vocals to the costumes were. Afterwards everyone met outside the entrance to the restaurant. Rowan picked this romantic Italian spot to compliment the opera and it worked beautifully. It surprised Ava to see how many people of the general public seemed out and about and able to afford to eat in restaurants, a complete opposite of Orionis. Wesley wrapped one arm around Ava as they began the long walk back to the hangar.

By the end of the day, Ava was worn out. She went to bed and fell asleep quickly but it did not last long. She awoke abruptly in a sweat. She seldom remembered her dreams, only when she woke during them, however this had been a nightmare. She had been running down a dark passageway in the lower levels of Orionis, the shrieking alien hot on her trail when she tripped over something, what seemed to be a body. She paused to see who it was and gasped as she recognized the body as Helena. As she peered over her lost friend, the alien crept up over her from behind as it prepared to strike. Now it was too late. As she realized what was happening in her dream, she woke up. Her heart pounded for several minutes and she knew she would not find sleep again easily for a while. What a weird dream. After Nathan’s death Ava stopped trying to make sense of her dreams, or nightmares. She glanced at the clock, 2 a.m. The dinner they had earlier was delicious, but also high in sodium. Thirsty, she decided to throw on some clothes and head to the dining hall for a glass of water.

She located the dining hall easily as the hallways were always adequately lit, even if a little less during non-waking hours. The ship was still, only the ever present faint hum existed. She drank a full refreshing glass and refilled.

“Ava?”

She jumped slightly, spilling a little of the water on herself. She thought she was alone. “Wesley, I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No, no, no. I was in the flight deck reviewing some of the details for our departure in a few hours. I was just about to turn in and I heard you come up. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Just a bad dream that’s all. Then I was thirsty.”

“Yeah, I think the food was a little heavy on the salt tonight.” He smiled at her as he reached to get his own glass of water. “Do you want to stay up for a little while.”

“Sure. I don’t think I’ll be able to fall asleep soon anyway, now that I’m fully awake.” They made their way towards one of the smaller tables in the room and sat down, facing each other.

“What was your dream about?”

Ava proceeded to tell him about it, feeling silly. “I’m not sure why I would dream something like that.”

“Well, you are away from your home and you are sleeping in a strange bed, plus you had two glasses of wine tonight. I think the alien was from the virtual reality game the other night,” he chuckled.

She laughed lightly. Wesley could always say the right thing to put her at ease. “You are so lucky, you know.”

“Why do you say that?” He looked surprised.

“Because you own this amazing starship and you have the freedom to go anywhere and do whatever you feel like doing. You are not locked into eating the same food, seeing the same people, and doing the same routine every day.”

“I don’t know. Believe it or not, this gets to be pretty routine after a while.” He shrugged. “And I do see the same people every day,” he laughed gently. “Space travel can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. The work that we do is not always easy. Some of it involves a lot of back-breaking labor actually. Plus, we have to deal with a lot of overly strict security guards and let me tell you, many of them can be, let’s just say, difficult to work with.”

Ava sometimes suffered from low self-esteem episodes and occasionally wondered what this successful, well-traveled, handsome man saw in her that kept him coming back. It all seemed too good to be true. “Wesley, I know you’ve mentioned that you have never been married, but did you ever have someone special, a girlfriend?”

“I’ve worked hard to be where I am at. I have never had much time for that sort of thing, especially with my unpredictable schedule. There have been women that I have liked, but nothing really serious.”

“Do you have friends like me, women on other stations, that you spend time with also?” she inquired carefully.

“No.” He sensed where she was going with this. He took one of her hands in both of his. Ava noticed that slight electric sensation, then it faded away. “There’s no-one else like you Ava.”

“Wesley, sometimes when we touch, I don’t know, it’s almost like I feel a faint electric shock. Have you noticed that?” She changed the subject and finally asked him about it.

“Yeah, Ava that’s just static electricity from the ship. It’s not painful is it?”

“No, but. . .”

“Nothing to worry about. All of the crew have it. It has something to do with the protective energy grid surrounding the nuclear power source of the ship kicking off static. It has to go somewhere so it gets absorbed by us.” He dismissed it, hoping this made-up explanation sounded convincing. He knew she would not be able to handle the truth at this time.

Ava was not an expert in this sort of thing and thought that sounded like a reasonable explanation. She always wanted to believe the best in people. Why wouldn’t he be honest with her? Wesley changed the subject right back to what they had been discussing in a round-a-bout sort of way; their relationship.

“Ava, I know you think that because I have a starship it would be so easy for me to fly off and leave you behind and never look back, but I’m not going to do that.”

“Wesley, I’ll be honest with you. I’ve lost a husband, I’ve never been with anyone else. I couldn’t take it if I lost another man I cared about.”

“If all I wanted was to sleep with you, I would have done it and moved on by now,” he said matter-of-factly.

Ava didn’t know what to say. His frank statement although reassuring, surprised her. He continued; “The galaxy can be a cold and lonely place. We live in difficult, stressful times. I know you can relate to this. There are so few people who are lucky to find someone they can truly depend on and connect with on many different levels; intellectually, emotionally, physically, whatever. I feel that I have found this in you. I promise that I would never hurt you. All I want is for you to give me a chance to show you how much I care.”

He was right. She did feel a connection. Even from their first meeting in The Square so many months ago, she had felt this ever growing affinity for him, and also for the six other crew members, almost knowing she belonged with them. They were like her family. It was hard for her to imagine her life now without them. He had acknowledged and addressed her concerns, why then should she hesitate to let their relationship flow into the next level? She could not think of a reason. The sorrow leftover in her heart after Nathan’s death has changed. She no-longer felt depressed, she no-longer felt empty inside. She realized she had healed and that his loving memory would always be with her, always be a part of her, and that she should not feel guilty or afraid to move on. It was time. She smiled at this discovery and placed her other hand over his. This was a turning point in their relationship, and they both knew it.

Ava slept through most of the return flight back to Orionis. As promised, they pulled into the hangar and landed by 4 p.m. on Monday. She said her good-byes to the crew, who had already begun prepping to load the ship for their early morning departure. Wesley carried one of Ava’s travel bags as they made their way through the ITO security and back to her small living quarters. They held hands as they walked, chatting about possible plans for the next weekend. Ava was thankful that it was Monday, she wouldn’t have to wait so long to see him again on Friday. When they reached her home, she invited him in for a few minutes. He could not stay long because he needed to get back to the ship to help the others prepare for the next mission.

“I had such a wonderful time with you this weekend. Thank you for inviting me to come to Capri with you. I cannot even compare it with Orionis in terms of entertainment and overall living conditions.”

“You are very welcome, Ava, anytime,” he spoke slowly looking directly into her eyes. “I loved having you with us.”

He embraced her. The nice thing about Wesley was that he was always warm, a desirable quality to have in cold space station. She hugged him back, resting her head up high on his chest. After a moment he released her slightly and she took this as a cue to look up at him. He leaned in slowly and they kissed gently a few times. It surprised Ava how natural it felt, like this is how it is supposed to be. She felt a warm sensation fill the room, it flowed through her, around her. It made her feel as though something inside of her had woken up after hibernating for a long time. It did not occur to her that this feeling of vitality was more than her growing affection for Wesley. They bid each other farewell and kissed again, both smiling as they parted ways. The sensation faded a short while after he left, waning as this distance between them increased. Ava did not notice, she felt preoccupied by the happiness she felt as she busied herself unpacking and getting ready for the work week ahead.

Chapter 11

The Holidays

The weeks seemed to fly by faster and faster as Ava eagerly awaited the weekends to be with Wesley and the others. Since her return from Capri, Ava joined a twice weekly self-defense class for women at Naomi’s suggestion. She put the events of the club behind her, and decided to try and learn how not to be victimized again. The class was divided into two parts. The first half was spent discussing tips on what to do if various situations occurred, and the second half was for practicing techniques on how to protect yourself. It ended up being quite a good workout. Ava and her partner in the class, Elaine, had become friends and occasionally spent time with each other outside of class. Elaine was a year older than Ava and had been on Orionis for three years. She and her boyfriend were going through a rough time and decided to take a break from each other. She had joined the class to try and kill some time in the evenings after working all day in a financial institution. Whatever the reason she was there, Ava liked having a local friend who seemed mature and well rounded.

The atmosphere in Orionis felt a little happier in December. With the holidays coming, Ava became excited because she knew she would have a few more long weekends to spend time with Wesley. He had also promised to take her to visit Alexis and Marc Tasker on Antares. Her old friends from Earth had been granted permission to have a baby and Alexis was now in the beginning of her first pregnancy. Ava bought a few small gifts for the baby as she did not know when her next visit might be. At Christmas, the journey to Antares seemed like it would never end, it was twice as long as the trip to Capri. However, life aboard the Andromeda never seemed boring. The crew taught Ava a little more about the ship each time she was aboard and even allowed her to pitch in to help if she wanted. Ava hated to be a fifth wheel doing nothing. Naomi, Rowan, and Mia tutored her in French regularly, and she began to understand and feel comfortable speaking simple sentences in the language. Rowan also taught Ava some new recipes and some tips on how to care for the plants in the oxygen garden and greenhouse. She especially enjoyed spending more time alone with Wesley; they had grown very close over the past several weeks.

Mia knew best how to get around on Antares and escorted Ava to Alexis’ quarters while the others enjoyed some free time without an assignment. After Alexis and Ava were happily reunited, Mia excused herself and promised to collect Ava at the agreed upon time when they would all go out for dinner.

“Congratulations on your first baby!” Ava gushed to her friend after Mia left.

“Thank you, we are so excited! I can’t wait until he or she comes into our world. I am so happy that we can give our baby a better upbringing than the somber underground childhood we had.”

“I know what you mean. It is exciting. Antares seems like such a nice station to live on, from what I’ve seen so far. What do you like best about it?”

“Everything. It definitely has been a positive move for us. The air is cleaner and fresher than what we were breathing on Earth and the conditions here are much more comfortable. Marc loves his new position in the hospital,” Alexis said glancing at Marc.

“Thank you for sharing your insight into the migration process, Ava, your advice has made this a smooth transition for us,” he commented.

Antares, being the fifth station built in orbit, had many amenities that Orionis did not have, however it was not as modern as Capri. Some stations, Sceptrum in particular, were known for industry and manufacturing. Antares, on the other hand, was known for its multiple large agricultural levels, giving it the nickname of the “Emerald Station.” It was the largest producer of soybeans in the common galaxy. Ava noticed the characteristic faint green glow the station cast during the landing. This station had by far the freshest and cleanest air Ava had experienced. Antares sometimes called on the Andromeda and its crew to export their precious produce to the other stations.

“Ava you look and seem so much happier now than when I last saw you on Earth,” Alexis noted.

“Yes, I am very happy now.” Ava paused. “That day seems like an eternity ago. I am very fortunate to have such wonderful new friends.”

“Tell me about this captain, Wesley. You write about him a lot. Are the two of you more than friends?” she asked with coy curiosity.

“Yes, we’ve definitely entered relationship territory,” Ava said cheerfully. She smiled happily.

“I think it’s wonderful, Ava. It is nice to see that you have moved on. Nathan would not want to see you wither with grief forever. We worried about you when you left Earth and especially with the financial hardship you suffered after your arrival on Orionis. That must have been terrible. I wished that there was some way I could have helped you. You have no idea how relieved I was when you wrote about your new friends and the support that they gave you. I look forward to meeting all of them tonight.”

“I’m sure that you will like them as much as I do. I would be so lonely without them.”

The two friends continued to catch up until six o’clock when Mia arrived to escort them to the restaurant, which was not far from the hangar. Ava introduced Alexis and Marc to Wesley, and then to the rest of her friends. Neither Alexis nor Marc indicated they felt anything out of the ordinary as they shook Wesley’s hand. While they were being escorted to their table, Alexis gave Ava an inconspicuous smile and a slight nod to indicate that she approved. Ava had to look away to keep herself from laughing out loud. The evening flew by until it was once again time for Ava to part with her old friends. Wesley promised to bring Ava back after the baby was born for a visit. The two women hugged and then Ava took Wesley’s hand as the group headed back to the Andromeda.

Ava grew up with great love for the Christmas holiday. It always felt like a generous time of year to her. On Earth, people in general seemed happier and friendlier to her. People were more willing to go the extra mile to help you out if you had fallen on bad times. Despite the poverty, her aunt Katherine always managed to give Ava a special little gift each year; a tradition Ava and Nathan carried on for each other until he passed away. Now, Ava wanted to give something small to Wesley during the journey back to Orionis. As the ship left Antares behind, Ava and Wesley settled into the common room by themselves. Ava gave Wesley an old-fashioned framed picture of herself. Since they had many digital images of each other, she thought he might enjoy something different. He had told her not to buy him anything for Christmas, but she wanted to give him something. She struggled to come up with an idea. What do you give the person who has everything?

He studied the photo intently. “I will treasure it, Ava, thank you.” She thought he seemed to appreciate it. They sat alone together on the couch in the common room.

“I have something for you too.”

“You can’t give me any presents, Wesley. You already do too much for me as it is.”

“Nonsense. Besides, I’m the captain. I can give you a present if I want to,” he replied amicably as he rose to collect something out of a nearby drawer.

“Ha ha ha, very funny, Captain Robinson,” she said mockingly.

“Merry Christmas, Ava.” He held out a small box to her. It looked very old. She took the box and opened it slowly. Inside she found a round gold locket engraved on the front with a crescent moon and a star, both with tiny diamonds set in them.

“This is so beautiful,” she said, carefully taking it out of the box and opening it. It was empty and slightly tarnished inside.

“It’s an antique, probably several hundred years old. I thought it was in pretty good shape for its age. Do you like it?”

“I love it!” She pulled her hair back and put it on. It fell to the perfect length on her chest. “I love that it goes with my earrings, and also that it’s very unique and celestial. Thank you.” She gave him long kiss and a hug. “I know who’s picture I can put in it,” she teased.

“Oh really? Whoever it is, he’s a lucky man,” he joked back to her. They laughed heartily, enjoying each other’s company.

Before landing back in the hangar, Ava tried to pry some clues out of Wesley as to what he wanted to do for New Year’s Eve. Orionis was not exactly a celebration destination. Ava believed Wesley had something else planned because the holiday fell on another long weekend. The only clue he had given her was to pack to be out of town for several days. The short workweek went fast. Ava missed having her friends around in between the holidays, but there technically were no holidays in their line of work. As promised, Wesley came for her at six on Friday night to escort her back to the Andromeda.

Once aboard and the Andromeda safely departed, Ava began interrogating everyone until Wesley finally revealed that they would be spending New Year’s Eve on Capri.

“Their largest hotel has a big party every year with lots of dancing and entertainment. We hear the food isn’t bad either. What do you think?”

“This is going to be so much fun! I can’t wait. I haven’t been to a New Year’s Eve party in years. The best part is that I will be able to spend it with you.”

“We were lucky to get reservations for the party and reserve a spot for landing. Their hangars are usually filled to the brim with ships during New Year Holiday because it is such a popular destination.”

They landed early on New Year’s Eve and everyone slept in because they knew they would be up late for the party. Naomi took Ava shopping for a few hours while some of the others worked out or ran errands, keeping their senses open for Bryant. None of the crew felt his presence anywhere near them so they continued their plans without interruption. Later, Rowan helped Ava put her hair up in a formal yet fun style for the party. Ava brought a simple mauve hued mid length satiny strapless dress to wear. She always liked how the color complimented her dark hair and that the classic style never seemed out of fashion. She had not worn it in years because she had no occasion for it. Celebrating a new year on Earth only meant it was that much closer to being uninhabitable, not exactly a happy event.

The festivities commenced with a large parade through the avenues leading up to the hotel where the party was to take place. A great number of Capri’s residents lined up all through the avenues to view the colorful parade. Ava enjoyed the energy, the different light show displays, and music as the parade pounced by. Her friends seemed to be enjoying the parade as well, however Ava noticed that they all had watchful eyes. She wondered if they were keeping a look out for their former crew mate. Why is he such a big deal, she thought. After the parade, the people who were lucky enough to have reservations to the party filed inside the hotel, while the rest of the crowd dispersed into the other nearby restaurants and clubs to begin their own celebrations. Ava and her friends were assigned to their own table for the event and hung out there until the appetizers were served. Wesley and Ava walked around the ballroom and looked at all of the decorations. There were even a few ice sculptures. “They are made out of recycled water. As they melt, the water will be collected and re-used again,” he explained.

After dinner Ava and Wesley chatted with Rowan and Justin while Mia, Ash, Naomi and Andre hit the dance floor. Ava never felt she had the coordination to dance, and never learned. Wesley openly admitted he was not a dancer either so they did not venture out. Ava could not believe how graceful Naomi and Andre were at dancing as she observed them. When it came time for the big count down and the champagne toast, they did head out into the dance floor and kissed at the stroke of midnight and the beginning of a hopeful new year.

The group made their way back to the Andromeda in the wee hours of the morning. Ava, never a night owl, was ready to go to sleep. The next day, Wesley took Ava for some sight-seeing, as many of the businesses were closed for the holiday. They decided to have dinner alone, just the two of them before heading back to the ship. Once back on board they were met by Andre who requested to speak to Wesley alone. Ava excused herself to her quarters to freshen up, wondering what they needed to talk about.

Once Ava was out of earshot, Andre spoke; “Wesley, we need to depart as soon as possible.”

“What’s going on?”

“The holidays have brought many tourists to Capri. It appears that this has also attracted several space pirates. As you know, because the ITO has really cracked down on them lately they are more desperate than ever. The reports are that a few of them have commandeered some of the ITO ships and are flying around out there assaulting ships left and right. I hacked into the network and I’ve been listening to the transmissions going on between them and the ITO control tower. They are trying to keep the whole thing quiet so as not to alarm anyone. Can you believe that! It’s only a matter of time before one of them is mistakenly granted permission to land in here and then we could have a crisis on our hands. I don’t know about you, but I’ve worked too hard on this ship to see it blown to bits by a bunch of thieving terrorists.”

“Agreed. When is the next mass launching? If we leave along with several other ships, we’ll have a better chance of slipping out without becoming a target.”

“Twenty-five minutes.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Naomi added, joining the conversation.

“What are your thoughts if we stay until tomorrow?” Wesley asked.

“I have a bad feeling about that too. There’s something else. Bryant is here in the hangar somewhere, I can feel it. He’s probably watching us and wondering why we are back, we never come to Capri for New Years.”

“Naomi, can you enter us into the queue? I want to make the next launch. Andre, prepare the ship for departure. Once we’re out of the hangar, terminate communications with Capri, activate the shields and arm the assault cannons. We’ll punch it to absolute velocity as soon as we clear Capri’s gravity. We shouldn’t have much to worry about as long as we don’t take more than a few hits.”

“What should I tell Ava?” Naomi asked.

“The truth, minus the part about Bryant. Ava’s strong, she’s not going to panic. Naomi, I’d like you to stay with her. I’m going to secure the ship and alert the others. I’ll stay with Ash in the flight deck once we are ready.”

“Okay. I’ll get her up to the observation deck once I register our departure. I’ll keep the monitors turned off.”

The crew ran around the ship preparing for a sudden take off. They were used to having quick turn-a-rounds and changes in their flight plans but they were rarely threatened by disgruntled space pirates. The only starships that were allowed to have weaponry were ships belonging to the ITO and individual station police units. Any ship outside of that category that carried weapons did so by their own illegal modifications. The Andromeda was a highly recognized peaceful starship, well known for the transport of all types of cargo. It was for this reason that the captain and crew worried about being attacked. What no-one with security at each of the stations knew about the Andromeda was that it was built with an array of illegal self-defense assault weapons for scenarios such as this. The ship’s armor and design concealed the weapons so well, that even the ITO did not know it was armed and what it was capable of in self-defense.

The news of the imminent departure caught Ava off guard, however she understood why they needed to leave and asked if there was anything that she could do to help.

“We just need you to stay calm, Ava. Wesley’s making some adjustments in our flight plan so that we aren’t followed back to Orionis,” Naomi said as the two women walked up to the flight deck. Her PCD beeped, it was Andre messaging them that they were 2 minutes out from departure. The two women took their seats, awaiting their turn for takeoff. The ship hummed gently as always and glided out of the hangar with ease. Ava noticed a slight change in the sound of the ship once they began to move away from Capri.

“What was that noise?” she asked.

“The shields have been activated. They will help to protect us if we are fired upon.”

“Do you really think that we will be attacked?” Ava’s face displayed her concern for everyone’s safety.

“It’s possible, Ava. We’ve been chased by pirates before, but not like this. They have become more aggressive over the past year. Don’t worry, the Andromeda is tough, and fast. Even if we take a hit we should still be able to outrun any of the smaller ships.” Naomi punched a few buttons on the small console between them. They could now communicate with the flight deck. They could hear Wesley and Ash discussing maneuvers. Andre, Justin, Rowan, and Mia were ready to fire the cannons if necessary.

“Are you sure there is nothing we can do to help?” Ava questioned.

“No, Ava, they have everything under control. Wesley wants us to stay here, out of danger. This part of the ship is well protected.”

“What do these pirates want, besides stealing cargo?”

“They want any number of things. These are people who live above the law. They travel around, essentially living on their ships. If they are successful in disabling a ship, they sometimes tow it back to a few remote locations back on Earth or other secret places in the galaxy to refurbish it, or strip it of its parts. Then they use the parts to build new ships or overhaul their own ships so that they are not recognizable. Sometimes the pirates turn over a new leaf and enter into the cargo hauling business, sometimes they go right back out and do it all over again. They hack into the transmissions between legitimate ships and the stations and steal access codes allowing them to land. This is why the stations are very strict about who they let into their hangars.”

“I’ve never heard about any of this.”

“Orionis is one of the safest places, they have the strictest outside surveillance of any station in orbit. It turns the pirates off so there is not a lot of activity there. The ITO keeps such crime reports under wraps. They don’t want people to be afraid of space travel. To their credit they have actually done a pretty good job keeping things relatively safe, but they can’t control the entire galaxy. Now that the pirates are hijacking ITO starships, that means that they are collecting weapons. The pirates have become more adept at hacking, cracking codes and jamming transmissions. That’s why Wesley wants our communication with Capri and the other starships terminated, so they can’t track us easily.”

“If our communication with Capri is terminated, wouldn’t that mean that we are flying blind?”

“Not exactly, the ships computer falls back on the internal maps and saved coordinates to guide our way back. It just means that we aren’t sending or receiving communications right now.”

“Isn’t that illegal?”

“Pretty much. But we have a good reason for it. Capri might give us a hard time the next time we want to come back, but it’s not the end of the world.”

Ava and Naomi heard Wesley’s voice over the console. “Hang in there you two, we are almost clear of Capri’s gravity.”

As the ship glided slowly away from Capri, the captain and crew in the flight deck suddenly detected three unidentified ships traveling fast towards the group of starships that had just launched. The new ships opened fire on the first few ships they came near, causing one of them to spiral erratically away from Capri.

“Looks like we’ve got company. Hang on, we’re going to start some evasive maneuvers.” Wesley’s voice was calm. Ava turned to Naomi with a worried look on her face. “What do we do now?”

“Hold on, Ava, we might be in for a rough ride.”

The ship lurched forward, struggling to be free of Capri’s gravity field so that it could reach absolute velocity and virtually disappear from the assailants. Ava sensed the ship changing directions, moving up and down and from side to side. She heard the sound of weapons being fired, but not from the Andromeda. She was nervous. Her breathing quickened and she began to sweat. The ship slowed slightly, Naomi explained that they were prepping to make the jump. At that moment, two new pirate ships appeared in front of them, just out of absolute velocity and fired on the Andromeda.

“We’re hit!” Ash shouted. The ship swerved sharply to the left as he dodged a second assault. Then, Ava felt a sudden jolt and an alarm sounded. Andre fired one of the cannons and obliterated one of the new ships. The hit slowed the Andromeda slightly, allowing the original three ships to catch up and join the fight. They must have recognized the Andromeda as a desirable catch.

“These pirates are aggressive, they normally don’t work together like this. They must really want this ship,” Naomi commented.

They could hear the cannons from the Andromeda being fired frequently and feel the ship swerving erratically to avoid being hit again. The two women were thrust side to side and up and down in their seats as the fight continued. It’s a good thing we are strapped in, Ava thought. They could hear the communication from the flight deck. Everyone seemed collected but they could tell things were tense.

“Hold on, we’re about to make the jump!” Ash said. The ship slowed and just before they transitioned into their new speed, they took another hit. Another alarm sounded and stayed on this time. The ship was now free of the attackers, but it was making sounds Ava had never heard before. She faintly smelled some smoke. This can’t be good, she thought. Naomi released her safety belts.

“Stay here, I’m going to check things out.” Ava watched helplessly as Naomi left, not sure what she should, or could do at the moment.

Ava waited a few moments and then released her own safety belts. She did not want to stay in the observation deck by herself. She made her way quickly into the flight deck. Ash was piloting the ship while Wesley ran diagnostics on the many computers in the deck and communicated the damage to Andre and the others who had now left their defensive positions with the cannons to attend to the repairs. Their conversation seemed calm. Wesley looked up as Ava entered the room, he motioned for her to come in and take his empty seat next to Ash. “Are you okay, Ava? I’m sorry about all of that. We haven’t been attacked by pirates in a long time.”

“I’m okay. Are you okay? Is the ship . . .?”

“We’re going to be fine, Ava. We have a little damage but it’s not too bad. It could have been worse.”

The smell of smoke gradually faded away and the alarms stopped. Ava felt her breathing gradually return to normal. She watched as the crew members poked their heads in occasionally to report damage that was repaired and what still needed to be repaired. What concerned them the most was an air leak in the oxygen garden from one of the hits at the rear of the ship. She waited with Ash while Wesley went to check it out. He decided that even though they could probably make it back to Orionis without any trouble, he didn’t want to risk it. With the seal not intact, sudden pressure changes in the ship with velocity adjustments could potentially cause the clear glass oxygen chamber to burst, killing everyone aboard. Wesley believed the safest thing would be to stop and patch up the leak.

“Ash, how far are we from E.S. Number One?” Wesley asked.

“Not far at all, we can be there in approximately half an hour.”

“I think that’s our safest bet right now; to land and seal the oxygen chamber.”

“Sounds like a plan, I’ll change the trajectory,” Ash replied.

“What does all of that mean?” Ava asked.

“We’re going to make a pit stop on E.S. Number One to make some temporary repairs, it stands for Experimental Station Number One. It was the first free floating space station Earth ever attempted. They couldn’t get the gravity stabilizers just right and the station was unable to maintain orbit. It basically started to float further and further away into space. Eventually it was abandoned and forgotten about, but we know where it is. The nuclear core is somewhat functional and the airlocks are still tight. We’ve landed there before, out of curiosity about eight months ago. It’s a little cold, and the air is a little thin, but we won’t be there very long, then we’ll be back on our way to Orionis.”

“Are you sure that’s safe?”

“I’m positive we’ll be fine,” he reassured.

“What about the pirates?”

“We left the pirates way behind us in Capri. We changed our course and ceased communications with Capri and the ITO, it’s unlikely any of them would follow us out here. We are no-where near Orionis. We’ve never encountered any other ships out this far. I doubt the pirates would make this abandoned space station their home. It’s too far out to reasonably travel back and forth to and it has no water supply. It was virtually stripped of all of its desirable parts to be used on future space stations. It’s a shell, nothing more. I doubt it will be functional at all after another year.”

“There aren’t going to be any aliens inhabiting it right?” Ava said jokingly, trying to lighten things up.

Wesley laughed and smiled at her. “I doubt it.”

The crew busied themselves gathering the necessary equipment they would need to repair the oxygen chamber as they prepared to land in the empty hangar of E.S. Number One. Landing on an abandoned, dark, experimental station frightened Ava, however the nonchalant attitude of her friends comforted her. They seemed to think it was no big deal. Naomi retrieved Ava to sit with her back in the observation deck so that Wesley could assist Ash with the landing. Naomi turned the monitors back on so that they could watch their approach to this dark, lifeless station. Ava could not help but reflect upon the frailty of human life in the desolate cold darkness of outer space as the Andromeda moved closer and closer to the dark shape of the old station before them. Space migration and leaving Earth, what a delicate operation, she thought. She had not felt this way since she first stepped foot on the Solar Wind, it made her nervous. She trusted her friends; they were experienced space travelers and she believed they knew what they were doing.

A trail of debris preceded E.S. Number One, then the deserted space station gradually became visible on the monitors. Ava marveled at the forbidden dark appearance of it. Gigantic gravity stabilizing rings were angled around it. They appeared clumsy and awkward compared to those surrounding Orionis. Some had apparently snapped off in the middle or at the bottom, leaving the station tilted slightly to one side. The ship slowed and the Andromeda sent a signal to the still functional computer on E.S. #1 to open the air lock. Ava could hear it groaning open and visibly see the escape of oxygen as she watched it in the monitor. The ship proceeded slowly into the eerie black hangar, the air lock grinding shut behind them. The ships navigation system would assist them to land, Naomi explained, as the floor of the hangar was difficult to visualize in the darkness. The Andromeda had a few outside lights that provided a little bit of illumination, just enough for Ava to see a large amount of dust rise up as the ship touched down.

“We’ll wait a few minutes for the dust to settle and then we’ll go out and start the repairs. Don’t worry Ava, everything is going to be fine,” Naomi reassured.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not really, but we appreciate the offer. You don’t even have to leave the ship if you don’t want to. We shouldn’t be here for more than an hour.”

They left the observation deck and joined the others near the flight deck. The ship’s computer gave a satisfactory reading of the oxygen level in the hangar. They would not need to wear oxygen masks. Wesley gave instructions on what needed to be done and who was responsible for each task. Everyone except Ava was assigned something to do.

“Wesley, what can I do? I want to be useful.”

“That’s sweet of you to offer to help, Ava, but there really isn’t much to be done. You could even stay on the ship and catch up on some sleep if you like.”

“I don’t want to stay on the ship if everyone else is going to be in the hangar.”

“All right, take this flashlight. You can have a look around if you like. Watch where you step, you may have noticed as we pulled in that the station is disintegrating because it has not been kept up. Be alert for falling debris. Not many people get an opportunity to see an abandoned space station, just promise me you will be careful and stay close to the ship.”

“I will.” She replied as she put on one of the heavy crew-members jackets. He seemed confident that nothing would go wrong, why not take a look around?

They lowered the ramp down to the floor. Ava could hear its echo bouncing off of the walls when it touched down. Wesley, Ash, and Andre left for the flight deck to climb a ladder that allowed them access to a hatch that opened on the top of the ship. Justin and Rowan went down the ramp into the darkness first, followed by Mia, Ava, and Naomi. Ava coughed a little as the dust stirred when they started to walk. Their footsteps created the only sound in the massive silent hangar. Everyone pointed their flashlights in different directions, trying to locate a launch terminal.

“There it is,” Naomi announced, pointing her light to a small console towards one wall off to the right. The small group made their way to the terminal where Justin pried the rusted cover off of the control panel. He located the controls for some of the overhead lights nearest to the ship and switched them on. Since they did not know how much power was left on the station, they decided only to turn on the lights nearest to the ship. Several of the lights had burned out or were broken, while a few flickered eerily in a strobe-like effect. At least Wesley and the others will have a little more light to work with, Ava thought. Despite the new illumination, a vast majority of the hangar was still pitch black. The group made their way back to the ship. The air leak was on the side of the rear of the ship. The two men would have to hang off of the side of the ship to seal it. Wesley and Andre were already on top of the ship, small figures strapped into harnesses, allowing them to keep their hands free to begin their work. Ash appeared with two heavy welding masks, handing one to each of them. He went back down into the ship to grab the welding equipment as the two men put their masks on. Ava observed that they would seal the oxygen leak by welding the defect closed until more permanent repairs could be made on Orionis. Justin, Mia, and Rowan were assigned to repair some of the other damage from the attack closer to the bottom of the ship. Naomi’s job mainly consisted on going back and forth between the two groups to see if anyone needed help. Ava decided to have a look around as the welding began. The sparks flew wildly and created more light for the two men while they worked to seal the leak.

Ava’s flashlight allowed her a nice wide field of vision as she walked towards one wall of the hangar, observing some of the outdated equipment. The minutes passed quickly and she could see her breath in the thin chilly air. Ava had never heard of E.S. Number One. It must be over two-hundred years old, she thought. The station creaked from time to time, and small bits of rusty metal fell here and there occasionally, adding to the spookiness. She continued to walk around the perimeter of the hangar nearest to the Andromeda and kept going. As long as she could still see the ship and hear the others, she would be fine. She saw a small heap of equipment piled near the wall about fifty feet further down near the corner and continued on to check it out. The heap turned out to be a bunch of random parts to anything and everything from consoles to ship controls, circuit boards, and personal care items. Ava found what appeared to be an old first aid kit and dug it out, fascinated. She opened the old once white large metal box with a barely recognizable red cross on it and found a few severely yellowed paper packets containing gauze. The paper nearly disintegrated as she touched it. Next there were a few small packets that once had most likely contained an antibiotic ointment, now all dried up. Ava held up an old sticky round object that appeared as though it might have been a roll of tape. She noticed that a few other items were missing from their respective slots. Ava read the faintly visible names of the medications on tiny dried up vials but did not recognize them. She guessed they might have been antibiotics, epinephrine, or antihistamines. Ava’s light flickered slightly as she held both the box and her flashlight. As she continued to look at the kit, she saw something move out of the corner of her eye.

Ava froze. Her breathing and her pulse quickened. She looked again and didn’t see anything. Slowly she bent to put the first aid kit down, keeping alert. She turned to shine the light where she had seen the movement. Ava flinched as the light from the flashlight bounced directly back into her eyes. She raised the light a little higher and saw what was moving. It was her own reflection in the dusty broken glass of what had once been designed to be an office. She sighed. The air in here is kind of thin, she thought to herself. It had been almost twenty-four hours since she had any sleep. She began to realize how cold and tired she felt. The stress of the events over the past day had crept up on her, now she was seeing things. Just as she decided to call it a night and started to turn back to the ship she noticed something on the floor. Footprints in the dust. She aimed her light directly at them. She saw a trail of clearly visible large footprints, at least more than one set of boots. Judging from how clear they appeared, Ava believed they must be fresh. That’s odd, Ava thought. Wesley had said the station was abandoned and that they were there many months ago. There’s no way that these footprints are eight months old, she thought. A chill ran down her spine. What if they were not alone here?

Ava turned and started walking quickly back towards the ship, it seemed so far away. She needed to tell the others what she had seen. She couldn’t believe how far away she had wandered. In the distance she could see the crew still working at the base of the ship. Wesley and Andre had finished welding and were standing on top of the ship removing their harnesses. Suddenly they all looked up towards Ava, as if they sensed her fear. She watched as they then looked sharply to one side. Out of the shadows came the piercing sound of shots being fired. The red laser bursts were directed at Wesley and Andre. Andre fell flat on the ship, the shots barely missing him, Ava gasped as she saw Wesley fall, taking a hit in the flank. Ava stopped and crouched to the ground. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion but her mind was racing. She fumbled with her flashlight and turned it off, and tucked it inside of her jacket, trying to make herself less visible but the assailants had already seen her. She watched as more shots were fired towards Wesley and Andre, and then towards some of the crew underneath the ship. Wesley wasn’t moving. Andre carried a small laser handgun and began firing back in the direction the shots had originated from. All she could think about was getting to Wesley, she needed to see how badly he was wounded, she had to try and help him.

Ash and Mia appeared at the entrance ramp of the ship, firing towards the attackers while Naomi, Rowan and Justin positioned themselves under the ramp for cover. Ava stood and started running towards the ship. The assailants saw her and fired a few shots towards her. The shots landed a few feet ahead of her, causing her to stop. The blasts kept coming, some narrowly missing her. She had to turn around and run back into the darkness away from the ship. Ava nearly choked from breathing all of the stirred up dust as she ran. She tried to muffle the sound of her coughs with her hands to avoid calling even more attention to her location. The disintegrating floor almost caused her to trip and she struggled to keep her balance. She paused in the darkness, invisible for the time being. She needed to get to the ship. Wesley was wounded and he could be dying for all she knew. She felt her face become flushed and her vision began to blur from the tears she could not suppress. The attack continued. It appeared as though there were two assailants, one person firing upon the ship and the other one assisting while also firing at Ava. The clamor from the battle produced echoes and subtle vibrations causing large amounts of debris to fall from the high ceiling.

Ava turned and took a deep breath, determination building inside her to reach Wesley. He can’t die! she thought. No, not again. I can’t go through this again, she promised herself. As she started to run back towards the ship, a sudden snapping sound followed by deep groaning sound rang out in the hangar. A whoosh of air hit Ava as an enormous support beam fell from the ceiling directly in front of her, punching a massive hole in the floor. The darkness made it impossible to see anything. The impact knocked her backwards off of her feet. The battle between the crew and the assailants continued. After a few moments, Ava slowly rose to her feet, picking up a long steel rod she miraculously found on the floor beside her. She realized she could use it to help feel her way on the floor so that she would not fall down into the large hole that had just been created. This is how the blind sometimes find their way around, she assured herself. She dared not turn her flashlight on, she would definitely be seen. Ava watched the continuing battle near the ship for a few seconds. If she could just find the wall she could follow that safely back to the lighted area of the hangar where the Andromeda was. Quietly she walked away from the direction of the Andromeda towards the wall, feeling the floor with the rod in the darkness. Suddenly, she sensed she was not alone.

“Hello sweetheart,” a male voice she did not recognize said behind her. Ava stopped and quickly turned her head in the direction of the voice and in the dim light barely made out the shape of a man, armed and pointing his gun at her. “Turn around nice and slowly,” he commanded. Ava’s mind raced. Three attackers at least, not the original two, she thought. Who knows how many more there are. She knew she had to act if she was going to get out of this alive. She did not want to be anyone’s hostage, or worse. She tried to think of her self-defense classes with Elaine. An idea suddenly came to her. Ava gripped the steel rod tightly with both hands and quickly spun around. She swiftly struck the man powerfully across the face with it. He apparently had not seen that she had a weapon and grunted with the impact. Ava flung the rod with her swing and ran into the darkness. The sound of the rod hitting the floor echoed loudly. She ran blindly and wildly with her arms outstretched until she hit the wall. Then she ran along the wall feeling it erratically with her hands in order to follow it. Although she didn’t hear any footsteps behind her she could not be sure she wasn’t being chased. The wall gave way to an opening and without thinking, Ava ran through it. Immediately she sensed a change in the flooring. It was no-longer the firm stable, solid flooring of the hangar. It seemed brittle, cracking as she ran as if she were on thin ice. Just as she was about to stop, the floor gave way and collapsed underneath her. Ava’s scream echoed chaotically as she fell into the darkness.

She plummeted for what seemed like an eternity, bracing herself for the impact. Her legs hit first, followed by her left hip, left arm, and finally her head. The blow stunned her. A minute passed. She opened her eyes slowly to the pitch black floor she was laying on. A few more moments passed. The pain in her left leg was almost unbearable. Carefully, she lifted her arms to her face, feeling her head. She did not feel the warm, sticky presence of blood. She did not think she had a concussion. Her arms ached but were moving all right. Slowly she pushed herself into a sitting position with her legs outstretched in front of her. She leaned back on her arms as the pain in her left lower leg intensified with the slight movement. Her breathing and pulse were erratic. Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, she thought. Ava concentrated on taking a few deep breaths. She bent her right leg up, using her hands to feel it because she could not see it very well. It’s okay, she thought. She tried with her left leg. Any tiny movement caused a severe flash of pain. Beads of sweat ran down her face. She bent down to feel her leg, grunting in pain with the effort. She pulled up the sleeve of her pant and ran her hands over her leg. The pain intensified and the bone did not feel solid towards the middle. No, this can’t be happening she thought; as she realized that her tibia, the strongest bone in her lower leg, was fractured. No blood though, she was grateful it wasn’t an open fracture, but now what? She pulled the pant sleeve back down over her leg and fumbled in her jacket, pulling out her flashlight.

“Ava! . . . . . . Ava!” She recognized the faint voice as Rowan’s.

“Rowan!” Ava croaked, choking on the dust. “I’m down here!”

A stream of light appeared over her. Ava switched on her flashlight and aimed it up. “Ava!” Rowan’s voice was louder, right above her now. A beam of light shone down and then Ava saw her. “I’m coming, Ava!” Ava watched as Rowan casually stepped off of the edge of the floor above, keeping her flashlight pointed down towards her. What is she doing! Ava estimated it to be at least a twenty foot drop. Words failed Ava as she witnessed Rowan float serenely and slowly down towards her like an angel. She did not see that Rowan was attached to any harness or cable; what was going on? Rowan landed lightly on her feet next to Ava and knelt beside her.

“Rowan is Wesley okay? Is he hurt badly? Is he . . . .”

“Wesley is just fine, Ava. Don’t worry. . ”

“But he was shot, I saw it!” she exclaimed, her voice wavering.

“He’s not hurt, Ava, I promise you. Everyone’s okay. We need to get you out of here before you go into shock,” Rowan remarked quickly.

“Rowan, . . . how did you do that?” Ava asked, pointing to the ceiling, referring to her descent. Ava was now shivering and shaking with pain and from being cold.

“Ava, that doesn’t matter right now, how badly are you hurt?” She brushed the dust and debris off of Ava’s face and hair.

“I think my left leg is broken.”

Rowan reached down and gently ran one of her hands down Ava’s leg, being careful not to cause Ava any more pain than she was already in. “Yes, it’s broken,” she said softly. “You’re going to be all right, Ava, we’re going to help you.”

At that moment Rowan looked quickly to her left. Ava followed her gaze. A tall man approached holding a gun in his hand, pointing it towards the two women. Ava gasped, not again! As he entered the field of light Ava saw that he looked thin, dirty, disheveled, unshaven, and desperate.

“What have we here?” he said menacingly as he moved closer.

Ava couldn’t move even if she wanted to. Rowan rose slowly and turned to face the rogue pirate. “You don’t want to mess with us,” she said harshly, her eyes glaring at him. Ava’s heart hammered in her chest. The pirate laughed, apparently amused by her comment. Ava couldn’t believe it. Petite, sweet, little Rowan standing up to this criminal. She admired her courage. At that moment Wesley silently materialized out of thin air behind the pirate. Ava’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened in disbelief. She knew she wasn’t seeing things but the things she saw were not making sense to her. The pirate saw the shocked expression on Ava’s face and turned around. Wesley moved quickly and punched the pirate fiercely in the face once. The pirate fell down and did not get up. Wesley didn’t bother looking back at the fallen man as he quickly ran to Ava’s side.

“Wesley! How did you . . . what just happened?” Ava managed to say.

“Ava, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry you are hurt. This is all my fault.” He wrapped his arms around her, warming her a little and holding her steady in her sitting position. “You are going to be okay. We need you to stay calm and take some deep breaths.” He kissed her forehead. Then he and Rowan immediately began removing her cold, dust covered jacket. He quickly took his own off and they helped her into it, Ava felt grateful for the heat. She looked at him in his dark t-shirt. Not a scratch, not any visible sign of injury, however she observed a small scorched hole on the side of his shirt. Ava heard the clatter of boots running down a staircase nearby. More light appeared with the flashlights of Andre, Naomi, Justin, Ash and Mia. Everyone came running towards the small group on the floor. Ash eyed the fallen pirate carefully on the way over, he seemed satisfied with his assessment that the pirate was not moving and caught up with the group.

“Ava! Oh no! Don’t worry, we’re going to help you!” Naomi exclaimed. She rushed to Ava’s side and then positioned herself behind Ava letting her lean on her to keep her head up. “We never would have believed there would be some marooned pirates here, but we’re okay, they’ve all been dealt with now.” Naomi looked down at Ava’s leg.

“Do you see anything that we could make a splint with? . . . If we can find something . . . a small metal rod? We could stabilize the fracture . . .” Ava’s voice shook as she looked around at the people gathered near her. The stress had caught up with her and she fought back her tears. She wanted to stay strong. She believed they had all come down to help carry her back to the ship.

Andre, who remained standing, looked down at Ava as she spoke, and then looked up to the ceiling. He raised his arms up high. Then, the few lights above that had not been removed in the desertion process, began to glow, producing an almost blinding light compared the darkness Ava was used to. Andre lowered his arms. Ava squinted and looked around her, seven concerned faces looked back at her. She could not understand what was happening. People do not float lightly down from great heights, appear out of no-where, or make two-hundred-year-old lights illuminate by themselves. She was beyond tired, beyond cold, in terrible pain, and now she was afraid of her friends. No one seemed interested in looking for a makeshift splint for her leg. The crew silently re-positioned themselves around her while Wesley studied her leg. He quickly lifted the sleeve of her pant and tore it up to the knee effortlessly, as if it were nothing but tissue paper. He had been careful not to move her leg so this maneuver did not cause her additional pain. Andre moved towards Ava’s right side and knelt down beside her, placing his hands on her right leg. Naomi wrapped her arms around Ava’s waist tightly. Rowan gently took her right arm and Mia took her left. Ash continued to stand, keeping an eye on the pirate. Justin also remained standing, watching from a few feet away. What are they doing? Ava couldn’t understand why Justin didn’t help, wasn’t he supposed to be a medic? Just as Ava anticipated that they would lift her Andre spoke: “Wesley, if you are going to do this now is the time!”

Ava looked at him then back at Wesley who gazed intently at her. She wondered what Andre meant by that. Just as she mustered the energy to ask what they were doing, Wesley with sad, solemn, worried eyes locked into hers simply said, “I’m sorry, Ava.” She watched helplessly as Wesley lifted his hands and slowly placed them both down on her bare broken leg. She screamed immediately, the sound echoed over and over loudly around them. The pain! Ava had never experienced anything like it. It felt like a thousand red hot electric needles were being shoved into her leg all at once. She struggled, trying to free herself, to pull away from him but it was no use. The crew held her so tightly that she could not move. How strong they were! What were they doing to her?

“Stop , . . . please stop!” she sobbed. Ava continued to try and resist, her face was flushed and wet from the tears rolling down her cheeks. She had not cried out loud over anything in many years, but the pain felt worse than anything she could imagine, it felt like he was tearing her leg off. Although the tears blurred her vision and her body shook from the erratic breathing from crying, she could see that he was simply touching her leg, apparently concentrating intensely on whatever it was he was doing to her.

After what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only a minute, he released his grip off of her leg and she felt the pain disappear immediately. He took his right hand and lightly ran it down the length of her shin, lifting his hand off when he reached the ankle. A relaxed, relieved look appeared on his face, as if he were satisfied with his work. Ava, still breathing hard, tried to comprehend what had just occurred. She suddenly did not trust any of them. The crew still held her steady but had relaxed their hold on her. She looked down at her now free leg and pulled it up toward her, away from Wesley. No pain. That’s impossible, Ava thought. Had he healed her broken leg? She looked at Wesley who broke eye contact with her briefly only to glance at Justin, standing nearby. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Justin move towards her. He knelt by her side and reached both of his hands towards her. No one spoke as he placed his hands gently on her head with one thumb on each temple of her forehead. Ava had no time to react, as soon as he touched her everything immediately went black. Her body fell limp with unconsciousness taking her as Justin selectively removed several of the memories of the night, including what had just happened. After a few moments, Justin removed his hands from Ava’s head and stood up. Andre, Rowan, and Mia let go of their hold on Ava, gently placing her arms at her side. Naomi continued to hold Ava while Wesley moved into position and lifted her up into his arms.

“Wesley, Ava’s going to be just fine. She won’t remember any of this nightmare,” Justin said quietly.

“Let’s get out of here,” Andre announced.

“Don’t have to tell me more than once,” Ash commented as he moved towards Mia and slid an arm around her shoulders.

“I’ll meet you back on the ship. Andre, once we’ve reached a safe distance, I want you to blow this worthless heap of scrap metal into dust,” Wesley ordered.

“My pleasure.”

The sound of boots hitting the floor echoed loudly as the crew ran towards the staircase and back towards the ship. Wesley stood holding Ava tenderly in his arms and closed his eyes. If anyone were left watching, one would have seen the two of them fade to nothing as the overhead illumination dimmed back into darkness. Wesley reappeared a few moments later with Ava in her quarters on the ship and gently placed her on the bed. He had removed her boots and his dusty jacket by the time Naomi joined him to help clean the dust off of Ava and place warming blankets on her as best they could. Neither of them flinched as they heard the sound of the cannons firing, obliterating what was left of E.S. Number One as the ship glided away.

After Naomi and Wesley finished seeing that Ava could rest as comfortable as possible, Justin arrived with a cold pack for her leg and one for her head. Wesley placed Ava’s leg up on a few pillows as Justin applied the packs.

“Rowan and I can watch over her for a while if you’d like to get cleaned up. You look like you could use some rest, Ava’s going to be out for several hours.”

“How can I rest after what just happened? She could have died tonight! I need to be more careful with her. How could I have thought going to an abandoned station for repairs was a good idea?” Wesley remarked, clearly upset with himself over what had happened.

“It was a good plan. You could not have known there would be pirates marooned there. Who would have anticipated that? E.S. Number One is in the middle of nowhere, it’s far, even for the boldest pirates.”

“How much of this is Ava going to remember? The pain must have been excruciating, I hoped I would never have to do that to her,” he spoke in practically a whisper.

“She’ll recall everything up until we land on the station. After that she’ll simply remember exploring the hangar, tripping, twisting her leg, falling and hitting her head. I took out the pirates, her fall, and everything else after that. The memories I gave her will be enough to explain the ache in her leg that she’ll experience and the mild headache she’ll wake up with.” He lifted the cold pack off of her leg and felt the newly healed bone. “You did a great job healing her by the way, it’s nice and solid.” He put the cold pack back down on it.

“Healing myself is easy, healing others has always been so difficult for me. Trying to control the energy is . . . draining. I guess I have the best chance with Ava than with any other human.”

“That’s true. She is one of a kind. We are all very happy for you to have found her after all of this time.”

Rowan poked her head in. “Wesley, why don’t you take a shower, change into some fresh clothes and have something to eat? Ava’s going to wonder why you are covered in dust when she wakes up. We can stay with her if you like.”

He sighed. “I suppose I should. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” They could sense his reluctance to leave her as he rose to walk out.

After what seemed like a blink of an eye, Wesley returned, looking about the same, minus the dust and holey t-shirt. He felt so guilty over what had happened he did not want to leave Ava’s side until she woke up. He wanted to be there if she needed anything. The others checked in infrequently to see if he needed anything as they wanted to give him his space.

Wesley moved the small desk chair to the side of the bed and waited for Ava to wake up. He leaned back and closed his eyes, wondering if they had done the right thing. He and his crew had traveled the universe for many years and seldom encountered situations with humans that endangered their lives. There was practically nothing he felt he could not handle, but being in love with a human had changed things. Humans were much more fragile than his kind for one thing. They aged, they could get sick easily, succumb from hunger more easily, suffocate easily, and break bones easily. A small part of him regretted that Ava was human. This was not how it was supposed to be. All these long years he witnessed each of his crew members find their match, their true other half of their kind. He did not know why his match happened to be a human, it didn’t seem fair, and it didn’t make sense. However, all isn’t fair in love, he reasoned. Shortly after he discovered Ava, his affinity for her consumed him. The shock that she was human quickly faded and he embraced what might be his only chance at love. He knew he would eventually tell Ava the truth about himself and the others. However, he wanted to wait for a more appropriate time, not during an emergency. He hoped she would be able to accept him, he believed that she would.

After a few hours, Ava’s breathing pattern changed, she turned on her side and opened her eyes. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was. She saw Wesley sitting with her, sat up in the bed and reached out for him. He moved to a sitting position on her bed with her and hugged her. He reached over to the bedside table and handed her the glass of water that was waiting and she drank to quench her thirst. After a few minutes and the glass drained, Ava looked down at her leg, which seemed fine. She wondered how she had gotten back to the Andromeda.

“Wesley, how did I get back here? I don’t remember.” She looked at him closely. Had she been worried about him? Her instincts contradicted themselves. There appeared to be no reason why she should be, he looked fine. She realized she had a slight headache.

“Ava you were in the hangar looking at some old junk and accidentally tripped. You twisted your leg and hit your head on the floor, but you are all right now. How do you feel?” He hated lying to her but he had no choice.

“I’m okay I guess. I have a mild headache. My leg aches a tiny bit. I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I was that klutzy.” She tried to think, did she fall? She remembered it now that he said it. Her head ached a little more intensely as she thought about it. The memory was real enough, but she could not help but feel like there were holes in her memories. She knew that was crazy. “Are you okay, Wesley?” She noticed, for the very first time since she met him that he seemed exhausted, perhaps drained.

He smiled at her. “I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know. Never mind. How is the ship?”

“She’s holding up great. The patch job didn’t take too long. Once we’re back on Orionis we’ll be docked for at least a week to make the real repairs.”

“Really!” A sudden wave of excitement swept over Ava. She would be able to see him every day for a week. “That’s great. I mean, not great that the Andromeda needs repairs, but great that we will be able to see each other a lot.”

“Yes I know, I’m happy about it too.” He kissed her a few times and then she started asking more questions.

“How far are we from Orionis?”

“We’ll be there in less than eight hours so you have some more time to rest. Is there anything you need, are you hungry?”

“Famished . . . and thirsty.” She looked down at herself. “I feel like I’ve been wearing these clothes forever. I need a shower. Can I take a quick one and change and then can we grab something to eat?”

“Sure. I’d like to stay here with you until you are ready if that’s all right, just to make sure you are okay standing up. You did hit your head pretty hard.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine, but you can stay with me if you like.” She appreciated his concern for her.

He moved back onto the chair next to the bed and watched her as she slid to the edge and stepped onto the floor. He practically held his breath, ready to leap into action to catch her if she started to fall. He kept his eyes focused on her legs as she walked away from him to the closet to collect some new clothes, and sighed with relief as he realized she seemed to be walking just fine, with no hint of pain. She smiled at him as she stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. She had never felt so adored by anyone else before in her life. Although neither one of them had said it yet, she knew they loved each other. She smiled as she wondered what the future might bring.

Chapter 12

A New Year

After the holidays, Ava arrived back to work rested and excited for a new year. She felt proud of her adjustment to her life and job on Orionis over the past year and was grateful for her boyfriend and her group of friends. Since the Andromeda needed repairs, Ava and Wesley spent as much time as possible with each other during the week. Ava did not have much vacation time left so they would fall back into their usual pattern of being together only on the weekends. She couldn’t believe she had been with them during their narrow escape from Capri and their impromptu visit to an abandoned space station. Wesley asked her not to mention it to anyone as some of their activities had technically been illegal. He told her it would be a long while before they would ever go back to Capri. Their adventure did give Ava a new appreciation for Wesley’s job, and for the frailty of life in outer space. She found herself worrying about him more now that she was aware of the space pirates and the other dangers his job involved.

In early January the OMC announced the addition of Dr. Grant’s son, Thomas, as an infectious disease specialist. The infectious disease clinic, or ID clinic, was located down the hall from the general practice clinic Ava worked in, separated only by a set of sliding doors.

Ava enjoyed the change of pace in her job at the beginning of the year. Their clinic had been busier than ever in December and she welcomed the slightly slower schedule. It would only be a matter of time before things picked up again. Since things were slow in the ID clinic as well, Dr. Grant brought his son around and introduced him to everyone. He quickly took on the name of “Dr. Tom” as no one wanted to confuse him with his father.

“And this is our newest nurse practitioner, Ava Amherst,” Dr. Grant announced as he brought Dr. Tom around to her station.

“It’s nice to meet you, welcome.” Ava smiled at him and shook his hand. She did not see much of a similarity between him and his father. He had short sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. Not as tall and as built as Wesley, but he was a handsome man.

“Nice to meet you, Ava. My father speaks highly of you,” he said pleasantly.

“Thank you, that’s nice to hear. We’re glad that you are joining the ID clinic, I’m sure that we will be referring lots of patients to you.” Ava felt flattered by the compliment. She liked Dr. Grant’s easygoing, laid back personality, and appreciated having such an amicable collaborating doctor to work alongside with. She wondered if his son would be as agreeable.

Despite the strict criteria of optimum health for migration to Orionis, people still managed to become sick. The OMC had specific guidelines for managing ill patients. If a general practice provider suspected anything unusual, patients were sent for a mandatory evaluation by the ID clinic. The two doctors who worked in the ID clinic also welcomed the addition of the new doctor to help lighten their load of patients. By mid-January all of the OMC clinic patient loads were back to normal. Dr. Tom made it a point to greet Ava daily on his way to the ID clinic since he started later than she did. He seemed nice enough although he was not as likeable as she thought he would be; he seemed to have a bit of arrogance about him. She noticed his eyes seemed to linger on her during their brief encounters. Ava paid it no mind, she did not have any interest other than her professional relationship with him as a colleague. One evening she mentioned the new doctor and his friendliness towards her to Wesley.

“He says hello to you every day?” he asked with a slight hint of jealousy.

“He’s just being friendly, it’s not like we work together all day.”

“Sure. What is it with you nurses and doctors always getting together?” he joked.

Ava laughed. “Nurses and doctors hooking up? Hardly. Maybe that sort of thing happened a century ago, but not in today’s world. I don’t get it, why does everyone think that?”

“You mean it’s not a soap opera?”

“Sorry to disappoint your beliefs. Besides, a doctor would be the last person I would want to hook up with romantically.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I guess I just don’t think they feel enough. Does that make sense?”

“I can see that. It’s probably easy for them to become desensitized with all they have to cope with to stay sane in order to do their jobs. It’s part of the deal I guess.”

“I wish I could see you every day,” she said softly.

“I like the sound of that.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. “Maybe someday we will see each other every day,” he continued. “Ava, promise me you’ll be careful at work. Don’t let this guy walk you home or offer you a drink, okay?”

“Very funny.” Actually it’s not, she thought, remembering the incident at Labyrinth. “I’ll be careful, I promise.” She mockingly held up her hand as if she were swearing in. “Maybe I should introduce him to Elaine?” she pondered out loud.

“How is your self-defense class going?”

“It’s going pretty well. I have only a few weeks left, then it’s over. I’m not sure what I’ll feel like doing after that. I do think that I have more stamina, although my left leg still aches a bit when I’m practicing my kicks.”

Wesley looked down at the ground. He still felt bad about the whole incident Ava had no memory of now. “It’s not terribly painful is it? I can’t tell you how sorry I am about that. I mean, I should have made you stay closer to the lighted area near the ship. The floor was too unstable, I should have known better.”

“It’s not bad, some days are worse than others. I’m sure with time it will fade. Don’t worry about it. It isn’t your fault that I tripped and fell,” she replied with a smile.

Wesley changed the subject. “Ava, I’m sorry to have to tell you that the crew and I have another lengthy assignment coming up next month.”

“Lengthy?” Ava paused. “How long will you be gone?” A wave of sadness swept over her.

“It’s hard to say. Most likely three or four weeks.”

“I won’t see you for a whole month?” He had become something of an addiction to her, she loved him and knew she would miss him terribly.

“I know, Ava, I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave your for so long, but I must.”

“When?”

“Just after Valentine’s day.”

“Well then, let’s make the most our time left together.” She smiled and reached for him.

The precious commodity known as time slips away so quickly. Before Ava knew it, Valentine’s Day was fast approaching. The holiday fell on a Friday and Wesley told her he had a wonderful evening planned, but wanted to surprise her. He specifically told her not to buy him anything, all he wanted was her company. Ava decided to invest in a romantic, lovely new skirt in pastel dove gray and a top in a muted pink color for the occasion. After work that day Ava rushed home and showered; eager to dress up for their evening out. She gazed in the mirror after she had finished. She looked so different from the starving woman with the sunken cheeks that had looked back at her all those months ago. Her soft chestnut brown hair fell a few inches below her shoulders in the soft curls that she had made. Her complexion seemed luminous, with healthy full pale pink rosy cheeks. Ava wondered if it was her improved nutritional status or the fact that she was in love that made her feel and look so alive.

Wesley arrived on time, as usual, dressed up a little more formal than his normal attire. He handed Ava a single long-stemmed deep red rose with a small red ribbon on it. Ava’s eyes widened. She had never been given a flower before. Flowers were considered frivolous because they were expensive to grow and maintain as they used up precious water and soil and were not a source of food. Ava had not seen any flowers on Orionis since her arrival, the last time she had seen them was on their most recent trip to Capri. She took the flower from him gingerly and inhaled the fresh sweet scent. “It’s beautiful, Wesley. Where did you get this?”

“I can’t give away all of my secrets,” he replied coyly, embracing her and kissing her forehead. Ava did not have a vase, so she settled for a tall glass with a small amount of water in the bottom to place the rose in. “Shall we go?” He held out his hand to her. They walked to the nearest lift and took that to one of the upper levels of Orionis. They continued for a short distance on foot to a romantic appearing restaurant called “Paris.” Ava had heard some of her co-workers talking about this place. It had a reputation for being one of the most expensive restaurants on Orionis. Ava could hardly contain her excitement as they entered and were led to their private table. The restaurant emitted an ambience of luxury with its cushioned seats, soft music, and dim lighting. There appeared to be a dinner under the stars theme. Hundreds of tiny lights hung suspended on almost invisible lines above the entire restaurant at varying lengths swaying gently with the circulating air. The remainder of the room appeared to be decorated as an outdoor area with artificial flowers, bushes, and vines; like an old-fashioned outdoor patio. Ava had never seen anything like it.

“What do you think, do you like it?” he asked.

“It’s beautiful, so peaceful and elegant. I can’t wait to see the menu,” she exclaimed excitedly.

Wesley loved watching Ava’s reaction to all new things. He had seen and experienced so much in his long life that he enjoyed observing her passionate response to things. In a way it awakened and refreshed his own senses. The restaurant was bustling with quiet activity, but did not feel overly crowded, after all it was an expensive place. The menu displayed a structured layout of a lengthy four course meal. Ava had never seen food so meticulously prepared and elegantly presented. Everything tasted beyond delicious. After a few hours and a bottle of wine it was late and time to leave. They walked slowly with an arm around each other back towards the lift.

“Well my dear, what would you like to do now?”

“Can we walk for a little while? I think I ate too much, I need to burn some of it off,” she said contently.

“Of course. I didn’t plan anything else because I wasn’t sure how long we would be in there. It was longer than I thought.”

“Everything, the whole evening was exquisite. Thank you so much. That was an experience I will never forget, especially the company.” She replied, smiling as she looked up at him.

The avenues were almost deserted as the restaurants began to close. Wesley led Ava down a dark passage away from the entertainment district of Level 3. “Where are we going? I don’t think there is anything else back here,” Ava commented.

“It’s okay, there’s something I wanted to show you, it’s not far.”

They continued to walk a short distance and turned down another dark passage. It seemed a bit more industrial than the rest of Level 3. Ava felt pretty sure that they should not be here. They arrived at a solid panel metal door, Wesley opened it effortlessly as it seemed to be unlocked. Inside they found a staircase and walked up two flights of stairs and then down another passage. “It’s just through here,” he said reassuringly as he opened another conveniently unlocked door.

“Wesley, I don’t think we should be here. What if we get caught?”

“Don’t worry, we aren’t going to get in trouble.” He led the way into a small control room and then to another small flight of stairs that opened up onto a large observation deck illuminated with a reddish pink glow. “Ava, this is one of the observation decks that they use to monitor the nearby stars, planets, and anything else that might travel through space. The glass is two feet thick.” Ava observed several computers in the wall of the room and a small desk to one side. There was also a massive telescope linked to a computer nearby. They walked over to the large clear floor to ceiling window and gazed out into the darkness of space. Ava could see a few ships coming and going from the hangar a few levels above. She could also see many stars glowing in the distance. The view almost overwhelmed her, it was so beautiful. “How did you find this place? I know we are definitely not supposed to be up here.”

He laughed softly. “I was just wandering around one day and found it, it was a long time ago. I thought this would be a nice place to be alone with you for a little while.” He moved to stand behind her and placed his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him. They stayed like this for several minutes, staring into space. The room was silent except for the gentle air exchange that cycled on and off rhythmically. Wesley held her and began kissing the back of her neck gently. Finally, Ava spoke.

“I shall miss you, Wesley. I wish you didn’t have to be gone for so long.” She closed her eyes.

“I know. I would take you with me if I could. I think about you all the time, I can’t stand being away from you. I love you too much.” His voice was slightly above a whisper.

Ava opened her eyes as if she could not believe what he had just said. She turned in his embrace to face him, they kissed passionately for a few minutes. “I love you too,” she whispered. He gazed intently into her eyes and began kissing her again. She felt so close to him, he felt so alive, like there was energy flowing through him and through her. Ava knew this was just her imagination. They continued to kiss and caress each other breathing hard. After a few minutes Wesley pulled away slightly and asked “Would you like to go to my quarters?” Wesley, aside from the Andromeda, had a small apartment on Orionis that they hung out in occasionally, but usually when the crew was with them. This time they would be alone and Ava knew what he really meant.

“Yes, I would love that,” she said softly, smiling at him.

He took her hand, kissed it, and led the way out of the observation deck area and back down to the avenues of Level 3. They talked and laughed lightheartedly as they made their way to his quarters. The door slid open silently and they walked inside the cool living room. His apartment was larger and more upscale than Ava’s. She always enjoyed being here the few times that she had been in the past. He took her light jacket from her shoulders and hung it in the closet, doing the same with his own. Then he went into the kitchen to find some wine while she went to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror as she combed her fingers through her hair. Tonight is our night, she thought to herself.

Wesley poured the wine and handed Ava a glass when she joined him back out into the living room. They sat on the couch and she leaned against him as he ran his fingers through her hair. They talked about anything and everything, laughing and joking, simply enjoying being with each other. After the second glass of wine Ava began to feel a little tired, and buzzed. She got up to put her glass in the kitchen, Wesley followed, in case she had had a little too much; after all Ava hardly ever drank. He wanted her to be as relaxed as possible, hoping the alcohol would dull her senses a little so that she would not notice the energy he tried so hard to contain from her. He was still not ready to reveal to her the truth about himself. She accomplished her task surprisingly well without difficulty and they walked back into the living room. He gently grasped her hand and pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around his neck. They began to kiss, slowly at first and then more passionately, edging their way into the bedroom. He took one of his arms away from her briefly, only to touch the button on the control panel to close the door behind them.

It was late the next morning when Ava awoke in a tangle of sheets and arms. She looked around the darkened room at the clock, 10:45 a.m. She yawned and took a deep breath. She looked at Wesley, asleep beside her breathing softly, and smiled. He looked so peaceful. She slowly and carefully eased herself up and out of the bed without waking him. She gathered her clothes and stepped into the bathroom to shower and re-dress. Feeling refreshed, she stepped back out into the bedroom. Immediately, she noticed Wesley was not in the bed asleep anymore. She made her way into the kitchen where he greeted her with a huge smile, a hug, and a long kiss. Ava barely noticed the absence of the slight electric sensation that she normally felt when touching him.

“Good morning, Ava, how are you?” He looked so handsome to her. Neatly dressed in fresh clothes and his hair smoothed back into place; he appeared very happy. Ava had been worried the moment would be awkward, but as soon as she saw him the thought vanished quickly.

She smiled shyly at him. “I’m fantastic, how are you.”

“Wonderful.” He gazed at her intently, holding both of her hands. “Would you like something to eat, it’s not quite lunch time but I’ve got some options here.”

“That sounds great. I’m surprised I’m hungry at all after that extravagant dinner we had last night.”

He laughed and winked at her. “Well, we worked most of it off, I think.”

She laughed with him. She knew their feelings for each other were real. She could sense his genuine love for her and she no longer felt afraid to show her true feelings for him. One more day, she thought, and they would be parted for a month. How would she be able to stand being apart from him? She did not think it would be easy.

Saturday evening, the entire crew met with Wesley and Ava for dinner as this would be the last time they would see her for several weeks. Naomi chose a casual, rowdy place on Level Six. They fell into their usual pattern of joking and chattering, like a large family would do. To Ava, they were her family now. She felt happy to be with them however the closer their departure loomed, the more her mood sank.

“We’ll be back before you know it. Just promise us that you’ll stay out of trouble, okay?” Naomi teased.

“I’m seriously not that accident prone, it’s only when I’m around you people,” Ava chided back with a smile.

Wesley pulled her aside from the others, his expression serious. “Ava, do you need anything? Money. . . food? Anything at all?” he asked softly. She could feel his concern for her well-being. He seemed worried to leave her, like parent reluctant to leave their child alone at school for the first time.

“I don’t need anything, but it’s kind of you to make such an offer; thank you.” His thoughtfulness touched her. “I promise you that I will be just fine. I have Elaine to keep me company and we are busy at work. I’m sure the time will fly by and we’ll be together again soon. Promise me that you’ll be careful. After the incident with the pirates, I worry about you out there. If one thing goes wrong you all could. . .”

“You don’t need to worry about me or the crew, Ava. We can take care of ourselves. We’ve been doing this for a long time.”

“Where are you going for your assignment this time that it’s so far away you’ll be gone for a month?” Ava asked.

He paused. He would have to tell her another lie, a thought he hated. The place he and the crew were going to was not known to the general population of humans living in space. “We will be on a lengthy mission transporting cargo and building supplies from Earth to Earth II,” he said flatly.

“That’s good,” she replied. At least he would not be near Capri and the space pirates, but then, they could be anywhere now. “It must make you guys feel good to take part in the creation of something so revolutionary.”

“Yes. We are proud to help contribute to the survival of mankind. The Earth will be nothing but a memory soon enough.” At least this is the truth, he thought. He spoke of the Earth with regret. Ava knew the Earth’s impending devastation grieved him.

As the evening drew near to the end, Ava and Wesley separated from the others to spend one last night alone together. Their departure would be at noon tomorrow so Ava said all of her farewells to everyone at the restaurant. Back at Wesley’s quarters, Ava realized that when she and Wesley touched, she no longer felt the slight sensation of static electricity she had grown so accustomed to. She dismissed it, believing that it was because he had not spent as much time on the Andromeda lately. She enjoyed every second of her time with Wesley, wanting to savor it all, until they would be together again.

In the days that followed, Ava wondered what her future might be like if she and Wesley took their relationship to a more permanent level. Would she leave her career and her job to travel with them, or would things remain the same? Neither seemed like the perfect solution. She tried not to think too much about it. She also made herself think positive thoughts about Wesley’s mission. She did not want to worry, but the thoughts of her last trip out with him kept creeping back. She monitored the news diligently, and felt reassured that there were no reports of space pirate attacks. Her friends were out there, and she was on Orionis, life goes on. The clinic continued to be busy. Elaine had become a good friend to Ava. The two women continued to find interesting things to entertain themselves with after the self-defense class ended. Ava was thankful for this. She did not know the truth about Wesley and the others, or where they were headed.

Chapter 13

Kyanos

The Andromeda swiftly exited the local solar system known and traveled by the human population and achieved absolute velocity without difficulty. Many decades ago, Wesley and his crew happened upon a new blue planet far and away from the limits of human travel. They decided to land their ship and have a look around. The ship’s computer analyzed the atmosphere and temperature, which was surprisingly compatible with human life. This was perhaps the greatest discovery of mankind, and also the most secret. They named it Kyanos and decided to try an experiment. They wanted to attempt to establish a new sustainable human colony. The inhabitants of the Andromeda had lived long enough to witness the inefficiency of humans and the despicable pollution of the Earth. They had discovered a new planet, a chance for the humans to start over, and they wanted it done right. Kyanos was about one third the size of the Earth, tiny in comparison. They wanted the transplanted inhabitants to respect their environment, even if that meant taking a step back from existing technology, or instigating new technology. After spending several years monitoring and exploring the planet, the crew deemed it suitable to proceed with their plan.

The temperature on Kyanos ranged from thirty to ninety-five degrees fahrenheit; depending on the season. The planet experienced everything from light snow to pouring rain. The humid atmosphere lent itself to frequent violent lightning storms during the rainy season. The mixture of gases were similar to that of the atmosphere on Earth with a slightly higher oxygen level, but still acceptable for human life. The planet received warmth and light from two different suns, creating a twenty-eight-hour day, with sunlight possible for near twenty of those hours. Solar power would be the primary source of energy. Unfortunately, the water found in several of the large bodies of water contained many minerals and toxins, rendering it unsafe to drink. However, the high level of precipitation made it possible to collect rainwater for processing, storage, and drinking. If rationed carefully, there would not be a shortage. In time, a technique for filtering and distilling the lake water was developed, solving the water issue from many angles.

The soil analysis revealed a fertile environment for plant life. The mineral composition gave the soil a slight purplish hue. The light reflecting off of the ground created a faint lavender appearance to the sky. The planet had plenty of tall green grasses and slim lofty trees with fern-like foliage, however no obvious sources of food for humans. Rowan held the responsibility for determining the types and amounts of plant life from Earth that would be transferred to the new planet. The delicate operation took several decades and was tightly controlled. Careful experiments were performed to check the compatibility between the plants on Kyanos with the plant life from Earth that Rowan wanted to introduce. The captain and crew did not encounter any major intelligent forms of alien beings. Despite the abundance of greenery on the new planet, there was a scant small alien animal population. Introducing animals from Earth would be a sensitive operation. Once again they did not want to tip the balance by bringing in animals that could potentially destroy the environment. Importation consisted mostly of farming animals, whose population could be monitored and controlled. The crew cautiously hand selected willing humans along the way that they trusted and knew would be key to the success of the new world. In time, these humans would come to know what kinds of beings Wesley and his crew were, and they were surprisingly not at all fazed by it.

Over time, the crew of the Andromeda collected various resources from the Earth and brought them to Kyanos. Together, with the new human inhabitants, they built a main compound with a hangar for the Andromeda to protect it from the lightning storms, several free-standing homes, a hospital, clinic, and a small farm. Eventually the fledgling community grew to a small colony with advanced technology, efficient recycling, and it began to flourish with the abundance farming, agriculture and solar power. The people of Kyanos lived simply, in peace. Communication with Earth or with any of the space stations was non-existent. This was the way it had to be to preserve the new world. With a population nearing five hundred, Wesley and the crew selected only a handful of people per year to take to Kyanos, mostly humans they had known and trusted over many years. Wesley hoped one day soon that Kyanos would be a safe enough place to bring Ava to. However promising the new world seemed to be, it was still very fragile.

Unfortunately, Wesley and the crew were not the only beings of their kind in existence. A man named Kaden, who had several henchmen devoted to him, threatened the survival of the colony. They did not like to see Wesley and his crew protect humans and take over a new planet, upsetting the natural order of things. They felt that humans should follow their natural fate, living on the stations they created for themselves for survival as the Earth continued to deteriorate. Wesley suspected that Kaden wanted Kyanos for himself.

The captain and crew knew time was of the essence. They had been away from Kyanos far too long and the reports of the attacks on their colony concerned them. As they neared the small planet, they became once again in range to receive the transmissions from the hangar. The news was not good. A recent raid by Kaden left several of the buildings destroyed and a great portion of the crops ruined. They could see the black smoke billowing as they prepared to make their landing. Wesley anxiously awaited the full report from Kyanos’ appointed Chief Officer, Trevor Vance, or “Vance” as they simply called him. As Ash gently set the Andromeda down in the hangar, Wesley and Andre immediately exited the ship and walked hurriedly towards the communications deck where Vance was waiting for them.

“Captain.” Vance nodded to Wesley and Andre as they approached.

“Vance, how bad is the damage? Were many lives lost?” Wesley immediately inquired.

“We lost thirteen people who were unable to seek shelter,” he answered solemnly then continued. “Kaden came out of no-where as usual. Our scanners cannot track him and they did not detect his approach for some reason. He has developed some type of jamming technology.” He paused. “From what we can tell he came from out of the west, striking at about 0800 hours yesterday. He made two sweeps, one over the crop fields and then one over the residential district, then he was gone. We were able to get a few defensive strikes in before he was out of range, however I don’t think we were able to do any damage to his ship before he left.”

“That vile coward!” Andre remarked. “That’s just his sick way of saying hello.”

“It’s a miracle he didn’t fire on the main hangar or the new ones on the other side of the compound,” Vance remarked calmly. He was used to Kaden’s raids as he had grown up on Kyanos. Wesley and the crew brought him to the small planet after they found him orphaned as a young child. “I think your idea of disguising them as agricultural silos worked.” The engineers on Kyanos were busy building a new large starship for interstellar travel as well as a few more of the small, solar powered hovercraft land-bound vehicles called “couriers” that the people of Kyanos used for everything from localized travel to towing plows to tend to the fields, etc.

“How much of the crops were destroyed?” Wesley asked.

“Most of the soy, corn, and a great portion of the wheat as well as about half dozen of the livestock.”

“Will there be enough food for the colony to make it through the winter?”

“We have some reserves from last season. It’ll be tight, but as long as there isn’t another raid, we should be all right.”

“We’ve brought the supplies you requested as well as some power cells, food, medications and other miscellaneous things we thought you’d need.”

“Excellent. I’ll have the Andromeda unloaded immediately. I already have the agriculturists salvaging what they can from the crops before they re-work the fields. It’s too late to plant another crop this year, but at least we can get it ready for next season.”

“Sounds like you are on top of things,” Wesley continued. “How is the decoy coming along?”

“She’s almost done. I’m thankful it wasn’t damaged or discovered in the raid.”

“We’ll stay and help you finish it and also to re-build the homes that were destroyed. We need to put an end to this nightmare.”

Vance nodded. He, like the rest of the colony, respected Wesley. He looked upon him as sort of a father figure, even though Wesley appeared to be in his early thirties and Vance was now in his mid-forties. He grew up under the strong leadership of the captain and the crew who set good examples for diligent hard work, kindness, peace, and respect for the environment.

The colonists of Kyanos had no other name for Wesley and his kind other than the name Naomi had creatively offered so long ago: “the Asterions”, which loosely meant “ruler of the stars.” It was not meant to be arrogant and in fact seemed a bit corny but the name was catchy with the locals so it stuck. Wesley and his crew were one of the largest group of Asterions they knew of in the galaxy. There was Kaden, of course, and his crew, as well as Bryant, and then there was also Xavier and his family clan that they almost never had contact with. Wesley felt pretty sure there may be others out there, although in his three hundred and sixteen years of being human he had never encountered any. Before becoming human, Wesley had known the essence of many more of his kind, however, being human was a choice he had made, not popular with the others. After choosing and transforming himself, Wesley was unable to communicate with them again. They could see and hear him, however, he had no more knowledge of them. Perhaps they still watched over him. It did not matter, being human was all he wanted, and it was worth it, especially now that Ava had appeared in his life. Over time, he was re-united with the Asterions that now made up his crew, his natural family that followed him from their state of essence to being human.

The decoy, as they called it, was a metal shell being built as a replica of the Andromeda. When it was finished, they planned to tow it out into one of the empty fields as bait for Kaden to initiate an attack. They hoped the decoy would occupy Kaden’s attention long enough for them to launch their own attack against him and destroy him once and for all.

During the following week the captain and crew split up to assist the colony with the rebuild projects and to develop a strategy for after when the decoy was complete. Wesley worked tirelessly on the decoy. The sooner it was complete, the sooner they could use it to lure their enemy down for a counter attack. Wesley could not stop thinking and worrying about Ava, wondering if she was okay, if she was safe. He had only been gone for two weeks and was anxious to return to her. He was the only one left in the hangar for it was very late at night and stopped welding as he saw Vance approach.

“You still working, Captain?”

“Just finishing this side. If we continue at this pace, she’ll be done in a few days.”

“This decoy looks almost identical to the real one, minus all of the important stuff. You would have to be standing right next to it to tell a difference.”

“Our efforts will be worth it. Kaden may be a coward but he’s not stupid. It needs to look convincing, otherwise he won’t come in low enough for us mount an assault.”

“With your help we’ll be ready for him this time.”

Wesley knew that while Vance valued being on Kyanos instead of Earth, he worried about the future of the colony. Changing the subject, he asked about his wife. “Vance, how is Rochelle doing?”

“She’s doing great. She’s now six months along. Everything has been just fine, we are fully expecting a healthy term baby” he said proudly.

“I’m happy for you. We will do our best to destroy Kaden and give you and this colony the peace of mind it needs to continue successfully.” Wesley was not a father, however he could imagine what an expectant father would want, a safe place to raise his child. The two men continued to converse for a few more minutes before Vance retired, leaving Wesley to finish the side of the decoy he was working on.

The next day Wesley and the crew held a meeting with the colony officials and the military to discuss the strategy for the battle. The decoy neared completion and they prepared to tow it out onto one of the empty landing pads furthest away from the residential district. The timing could not be more perfect. Ash had detected that Kaden’s ship was not far from Kyanos.

The next morning couriers towed the Andromeda decoy to the landing pad. Wesley and the crew would now wait in the real Andromeda hidden from sight in the hangar for Kaden to descend upon the colony. They needed to be ready, no matter how long it might take.   They hoped that Kaden would see the decoy as an easy target. Kaden knew that without the Andromeda and its captain, the strongest of their kind, the colony would be defenseless against him and his own crew. There would be nothing left to prevent them from taking over.

Two days passed with no hint of an attack, however on the third day, Ash detected a transmission from The Draconis, Kaden’s starship. It was nearing Kyanos’ atmosphere at a rapid pace.

“This is it!” Ash announced.

A flurry of activity exploded on the Andromeda. Andre notified Vance and the colony officials to prepare for defensive strikes. Wesley took his place at one of the main assault cannons. Justin followed suit with the other one on the opposite end of the ship. The rest of the crew took their positions with Andre remaining in the flight deck with Ash to assist with evasive maneuvers. Ash powered up the ship, ready to race out of the hangar at a moments notice. A siren rang out, alerting the people of the impending attack. The citizens of Kyanos took cover in the few underground bunker or storage facilities that had been built. The small military prepared from the ground to attack the Draconis if it became within range.

Suddenly, a massive jet black blur became visible in the atmosphere and streaked rapidly across the sky at an alarming rate, heading right towards the decoy.

“He’s taking the bait! Get ready!” Ash bellowed over the intercom and also to the ground defense. The Andromeda hummed loudly as it prepared to lift off.

“Wait ‘till he’s past us! Then we’ll attack him from the rear.” Wesley commanded.

The Draconis tore through the sky past the hangar heading to the Andromeda. The thunderous sound of a torrent of cannon fire erupted as the Draconis fired mercilessly on the decoy. The military began firing on the enemy ship with only a few direct hits gained, deflected by the ships electric shield. The Andromeda raced out of the hangar, gaining on the Draconis quickly. The Andromeda was about the same size of its foe, there would be no way the Draconis could outrun them. The decoy exploded easily as it was nothing more than a shell. Flames and smoke billowed everywhere. The Draconis picked up speed as Kaden realized he had been tricked and was now being hunted by the Andromeda. The Andromeda chased the Draconis ruthlessly. Ash aligned the ship and Wesley fired harshly upon his enemy, followed by Justin and the others. The hits were successful. A chunk of melting metal fell off of the back of the Draconis as a line of white smoke appeared from its wake in the sky. The Draconis changed course and began soaring higher in the sky.

“He’s leaving the atmosphere, we’re going into space, hang on!” Ash announced.

“Stay on him!” Wesley ordered.

“He’s jamming our shields somehow!” Andre exclaimed. “We’ll have no protection if we’re hit!”

“We’re not letting him get away this time. Stay on him!”

The Draconis, now unhindered by the gravity of Kyanos, performed an about-face in space and charged the Andromeda head on. The two ships fired fiercely upon one another, each taking hits. The hits the Andromeda took were minor in comparison to the last battle from the space pirates.

“Ash, get us behind him again, we need to take out his power source or his navigation system” Wesley ordered.

The Andromeda soared higher than the Draconis and then spiraled and flipped to give chase to its enemy from the rear. Wesley and Justin pounded the rear of the ship with their cannons. A sizeable explosion erupted from the rear of the enemy ship.  The Draconis swerved erratically in the darkness of space and began spiraling away from the Andromeda.  As the Andromeda charged forward to deliver battle ending blows to the Draconis, the enemy ship flipped and blasted the Andromeda with a few last direct hits near the flight deck and power source. Alarms sounded immediately on the Andromeda and gray smoke poured out everywhere. Ash could not maintain the momentum they had been traveling at and the ship slowed its pursuit of its enemy. The Draconis flipped again and raced away from the Andromeda.

“Follow him He’s almost done for!” Wesley commanded.

“We’re pushing it, our O2 levels are dropping.” Andre commented.

Suddenly, the Draconis itself disappeared, all but for the smoke being emitted from it. Then the smoke seemed to moving faster and faster away from the Andromeda.

“He vanished! He’s using some type of invisibility technology,” Wesley announced.

“He’s not on the sensors anymore. I’ll bet he’s going to try to make the jump,” Ash proclaimed.

“Don’t lose him!” Wesley ordered.

“Kaden’s jamming our shields and our signal, we cannot track him now! We’re blind!” Andre shouted.

Ash quickly punched it, bringing the Andromeda as close to the trail of smoke as possible. In the last few moments, Wesley and Justin fired blindly upon where the smoke was coming from. Some flashes of light indicated that they had made a few successful hits and then a large blaze of light signaled that the Draconis was gone, their trajectory unknown.

The Andromeda slowed its pace to a gentle glide, the crew keeping alert in case Kaden decided to come back for another round. Nothing. The captain and crew relaxed a little, knowing that the battle was over for now. Wesley’s mind filled with frustration with the knowledge that Kaden was gone and the uncertainty of whether or not it was for good.

“Andre, how’s she holding up?” Wesley asked of the Andromeda.

“A moderate oxygen breach and a leaky power cell, but we’ll be all right if we head back to Kyanos now.”

“Affirmative. There’s no point staying out here. He’s not coming back anytime soon.”

“It looks like you took out his main power cell, that alone would take weeks to repair, even if he had the proper resources,” Ash commented.

“How did he disappear? I’ve never seen a ship do that before,” Wesley wondered aloud.

“Kaden must have figured out a way to jam signals and cloak his ship, making it appear as if his ship is invisible,” Ash responded.

“I can’t believe he was stupid enough to think we wouldn’t see the smoke wafting off of the back of his ship,” Andre laughed.

“We need to figure out how he did it. I want to know,” Wesley replied.

“As soon as we land I’m on it. I’ve got a reading of some of the transmissions from their ship before he started jamming us. It will take some time, but I’ll figure it out eventually,” Ash replied.

The captain and crew left the flight deck to attend to the repairs as best they could until Ash brought the Andromeda carefully back down to Kyanos and into the hangar. It would take at least a week, if not more, to repair the Andromeda. Vance waited on the landing pad with a few of the other officials for the full report. They appeared pleased. Although Wesley did not believe that they were victorious, he was sure that Kaden would not be back for a long while, not at least until his ship was fully repaired. What concerned Wesley the most was the vengeance he was certain he knew would be coming from Kaden sooner or later.

Chapter 14

Reunion

Ava yawned, stretched, and reached to power down her computer and grab her small backpack. She had stayed late at the clinic to finish a few charts and decided to call it a day. It was Thursday, one more day to go until the weekend. She and Elaine had plans to go to a small party one of Elaine’s other friends was having tomorrow night and Ava wanted to get as much done tonight as she could before she left. She knew she would not have time to stay late tomorrow. Ava saw only a few people remaining in the clinic as she made her way out, her shoes echoing in the silent hallway.

The avenues leading to The Square were usually pretty busy on Thursday and Friday evenings as people ran errands, preparing for the weekend. Ava picked up her pace, walking with the sense of purpose usual for her. She let her mind wander to Wesley. It had been three weeks since she last saw him and wondered if he was okay and when she would see him and her friends again. While Elaine had helped to keep her busy, she missed Wesley terribly. She felt so lonely without him, as if a piece of herself were missing. The clock in The Square chimed 7:00 p.m., pulling her out of her thoughts. She decided to stop for a quick dinner before heading home.

She selected a small café she and Wesley had eaten at few times and sat outside in the sectioned off “patio” section. Ava frequently ate alone on and off over time as Wesley and the others were usually out on an assignment during the week, so it did not faze her to sit alone and order dinner. At this hour the café did not seem to be crowded and no one other than the waiter spoke to her. She ordered a simple dinner and watched the crowd thin out in The Square as time passed. She vaguely sensed that she was being watched, however did not see anyone as she looked around her. She brushed it off. After about thirty-five minutes she paid her bill and walked out through the front of the café and back into The Square. She did not walk far before a well dressed, brown haired and blue-eyed man casually approached her. Ava stopped suddenly and stared at him, she was not used to being approached by strangers in public. The knowledge that there were several people milling about The Square comforted her. The stranger smiled pleasantly at her as he came to a stop about two feet from her. She felt certain she had seen him before somewhere.

“Hello, Miss,” the man said cheerfully. Ava said nothing. The man continued, “I thought you looked familiar. You probably don’t remember me, we never officially met on Capri.”

Capri! The name jogged Ava’s memory. She had a knack for remembering faces, and she remembered his now. “My name is Bryant,” he revealed.

“Oh yes, I do remember you,” she replied. She did not know what to say to this stranger. Naomi’s description of his relationship with Wesley had left Ava with the feeling that he and the crew did not trust him. “I’m Ava Amherst,” she divulged.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Amherst,” he extended his hand out politely towards her. She shook it cordially, feeling that almost imperceptible static electricity sensation she used to feel when she and Wesley touched. This surprised her.

“I’m glad to make your acquaintance,” she replied courteously.

“I remembered your face from when I saw you with Captain Robinson on Capri. I always try to say hello to familiar faces; this world we live in is so isolating at times. The captain and crew are old friends of mine, and very good people,” he remarked cheerfully as he gazed at Ava intently but in a non-imposing way. This stranger had such a warm, agreeable, manner about him. He seemed very likeable, she thought.

“Yes they are. I am fortunate to have such nice friends.”

“Are you a crew member also?” he inquired.

“No, they are just my friends. I travel with them occasionally.”

“It must be nice for you to have the opportunity to visit the other stations and see new scenery from time to time.”

“Yes it is.”

“I used to be a crewman on the Andromeda several years ago.”

“Naomi mentioned that to me,” Ava remarked.

“What a wonderful ship it is. Captain Robinson does an impeccable job keeping it up. The work that they do is so important to the function of the stations.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, what was it that made you want to leave them?”

“We felt it was best. My wife had recently passed away and it was a difficult time for me,” he replied solemnly, looking at the floor.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s all right, it was a long time ago,” he smiled and snapped out of his sadness back to his cordial manner.

“What type of work do you do now? Are you working on another ship?”

“No. I went through a career change and I work for the ITO most of the time now as part of their investigations unit.”

“That sounds interesting. What kinds of things do you investigate?”

“Anything and everything. Naturally it’s all classified, and it keeps me on the move a lot from station to station. I was actually hoping to run into the captain again here on Orionis during my time here. Not as part of my current investigation, of course,” he laughed casually. “I was disappointed to see that the Andromeda was not docked today.”

“If you’d like to leave me with an online address I would be happy to have him contact you when he returns.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I’m sure he and I will see each other again soon enough.”

“Well it was nice meeting you. I’m sorry, but it’s been kind of a long day for me and I must be going.”

“Then I won’t keep you. It was nice talking with you, Ms. Amherst. Best of luck to you,” he replied graciously.

“Thank you, have a good evening.”

“Good night.”

Ava continued on through The Square without looking back. She did not worry about being followed by this stranger; she sensed that she was not. What an odd encounter, she thought as she exited down the avenue leading to the lift back to Level 4 and to her quarters.

Bryant watched Ava leave The Square. As soon as she was out of sight he nonchalantly lifted his right hand, the hand he had shaken her hand with, to his nose and inhaled, memorizing her scent. It is so easy to hunt a human; he thought. He lowered his hand, turned and walked quickly towards the lifts to take him to the hangar, eager to leave Orionis. Bryant hated the no-nonsense military like environment that Orionis was known for. Now that he had successfully tracked Wesley’s significant other down, he immediately set out to find someone else, someone who would be much more difficult to find, a man named Xavier. Bryant smiled at the thought of this game, there was nothing he loved more than to hunt and track people down. His proficiency and skills at finding missing persons for the ITO had made him a wealthy man, but this new mission had nothing to do with the ITO. It was simply a matter between him and Wesley.

Ava left work timely on Friday night and met Elaine in the Square. Elaine’s friend Natalie lived on Level 5 and the two women wanted to pick a few things up at Infinity on Level 9 to bring to the party. Natalie had a nice sized apartment and had no problem filling it with people for her party. There were so many people, in fact, that some chose to sit on the floor while others stood against the wall. Natalie and her husband were warm and welcoming people, Ava thought. From the looks of their nicely decorated quarters they seemed well to do. Ava did not know anyone other than Elaine, however the people at the party were friendly for the most part. Elaine made the punch and brought Ava a glass.

“It’s okay, I promise you,” Elaine remarked as Ava raised an eyebrow.

“Is it spiked with anything?” she asked keeping a serious face. Ava still had trust issues after the incident at the club that one night.

“Only a little alcohol. Seriously though, you’d probably have to drink a gallon to feel it I think, the price of liquor has gone up so high I couldn’t afford to put much in. It’s not like the old days,” she said as she herself took a drink out of her own glass.

“All right.” Ava took a small sip. Elaine was right, you could barely taste it, but it tasted good.

“When’s your boyfriend coming home?”

“Anytime now, he said three or four weeks.”

“You must miss him a lot.”

“Yeah. We haven’t been apart for this long since right after I first met him.” She practically had to shout over the loud pounding music someone had blaring.

“My ex-boyfriend worked on one of the ships and was gone quite a bit. It’s tough.”

“So it’s officially over? You aren’t getting back together with him?” Ava inquired.

“No. It’s for the best, I’m a happier person without all of the drama. Someone will come along for me again I’m sure,” Elaine shouted, trying to be heard over the music. Finally someone changed it something slower and softer.

“This is a nice song, the artist has beautiful voice,” Ava observed after a few minutes.

“Yes, he does. I don’t think I’ve heard this group before either, they must be new. Let me find out.”

Elaine went over the person who started the music and asked about the band. She came back over to Ava with the full report.

“They are called ‘Geodesic’ and they are pretty new on the music scene according to that guy,” Elaine pointed at the man she had just talked to. “He said no one seems to know much about them but that they are currently touring. Maybe if they come to Orionis we could go the concert.”

“That would be fun, I love concerts. Too bad there aren’t that many of them here. Capri hosts at least one a month.”

“When is your man taking you back there?”

“Probably not for a while. Capri has some security issues right now, and I’m not even sure I want to go back for a long time.”

After a few minutes Elaine excused herself to use the restroom, leaving Ava to talk with a few of the people around her. When Elaine returned one of single men at the party tapped her on the shoulder and began talking to her. A little after nine, Ava decided it was time to leave.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to get some people together to walk you home?” Elaine asked.

“It’s only one level up. I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Besides, it looks like that guy you were talking to wants to spend some more time with you,” Ava said with a smile.

“I like him, he seems like a good guy so far.”

“Have fun.”

“Be careful, and call me tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay, good night.”

Elaine’s starting to be as protective as Naomi; she thought. Ava was the first one to leave the party. She had never been comfortable in large crowds of strangers. She preferred smaller, more intimate groups, like her friends from the Andromeda. As she walked home she kept thinking of the song she had heard that she liked, deciding she would download it later.

Ava was up and about early for a Saturday morning. She returned to Infinity to do more grocery shopping and was just putting away the last few items in her kitchen when her doorbell chimed. Ava wasn’t expecting anyone and it kind of startled her when she heard the sound. She walked over to the security camera and immediately opened the door when she saw who it was.

“Wesley!” She practically jumped on him.

“There’s my Ava.” He lifted her up and twirled her around in a big bear hug and kissed her.

“I can’t believe it, I wasn’t expecting you until next weekend at the earliest.”

“We got in about half an hour ago. How are you? Are you okay? I was so worried about you. I missed you so much.” He touched her face, her hair, then rested his hands on her shoulders.

“I worried about you and missed you too, ” Ava said cheerfully. “I’m so glad you are back in one piece.”

“Yes, we are all fine. No worries my love.”

“You look tired Wesley, did they work you hard on Earth II?”

“Very hard,” he replied, hating having to lie to her, however he could not disclose the truth to her yet.

“Did you have trouble with any space pirates?”

“Not this time.”

“Come, you must tell me all about your mission, I’d love to hear about it.”

“Of course, and I also want to hear about what you’ve been up to as well. I trust that you and your friend have stayed out of trouble,” he said mockingly.

“Ha ha ha. Yes, contrary to popular belief I can actually survive on my own without starving, fainting, or being victimized,” she joked back.

“I know you can. I just worry about you because I love you so much, if you only knew.” He held her in a long embrace.

“Please tell me you are not leaving again tomorrow.”

“Not tomorrow, but on Monday.”

Ava looked up at him as if to protest then he spoke again. “It’s a quick mission, we’ll only be gone for a few days and we’ll be back again Friday evening.”

Wesley wanted to collect a few more parts for the new starship being built on Kyanos. The sooner the ship is up and running, the safer it would be for the people there. At least then they would have a better chance at protecting themselves against Kaden.

Wesley and Ava continued to catch up with each other for a few hours and then he headed back to the ship to check on things while Ava prepared to meet them all for dinner. He returned at six to escort her to the restaurant, a casual place where the group could catch up.

“Ava, we missed you!” Naomi exclaimed as she hugged her.

“I missed all of you as well. It was really lonely here without you all.”

“I don’t think we’ll have any lengthy missions like that for a while.”

“That’s good to hear,” Ava replied as the group was lead to their table in the back.

After everyone had settled down and placed their orders for dinner Wesley, holding Ava’s hand under the table, asked her more questions about what she had done in their time apart.

“Well, I mostly just worked a lot.”

“Sounds like what we did,” Andre joked.

“Oh, Elaine and I went to a party last night and we heard some music from a great new band.”

“I love finding out about new music, what was the band called?” Naomi chimed in.

“Geodesic. The lead singer has a great voice.”

“I’ll have to check them out.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you,” Ava said turning back to Wesley. “I ran into your former crewmember the other night.”

The entire group fell silent, the smiles fading off of their faces. “What?” Wesley asked suddenly very serious.

“You know, Bryant, the man you were talking to on Capri.”

Wesley and the others exchanged surprised glances at each other. “Ava, when did this happen?” he asked, concerned.

“Thursday night. I was in The Square heading home from work and he came up to me and introduced himself.”

“He just came up to you out of the blue?” Naomi asked, puzzled.

“Yes, he said that he recognized me from that time we were on Capri and wanted to say hello.”

“Tell us everything that he said, Ava.” Wesley instructed.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, Ava, we are just not on the best of terms with him that’s all,” Naomi remarked.

Everyone at the table listened intently, occasionally glancing at each other, as Ava re-told her encounter with Bryant, including mentioning that she shook his hand.

“I think I spoke with him for less than two minutes, it really was very brief.”

“And he didn’t ask you any other personal questions, or about your relationship with me?”

“No, he just wanted to know if I was a crewmember or not. He seems like a pleasant man. I thought it was weird though; that he was hoping to run into you, but not willing to leave an address for you to contact him.”

“Well, I wouldn’t worry about this. However, if you should ever see him again and I’m not around, don’t talk to him. Just get yourself to a safe place.” Wesley advised.

“Why? Is he dangerous?”

“That’s just it, we don’t know. It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Naomi added.

Ava sensed her friends disapproval over her random encounter with Bryant. Her appetite practically disappeared as she began to feel uneasy about the stranger.

Dinner arrived and Wesley changed the subject. He did not want Ava to worry about Bryant and spoil the evening. Bryant was now his problem to worry about. After dinner the group split up. Ava and Wesley went back to his place to spend some time alone together while the crew went back to the ship. Although they did not let Ava see it, they were extremely alarmed about this visit from Bryant. They sensed that time was running out. They now knew they needed to ensure Kyanos’ safety by destroying Kaden as soon as possible. Only then could they bring Ava there, and they needed to do that before Bryant could complete whatever it was that he was up to.

The next morning Wesley went back to the ship to talk and discuss the next step with the others. They were already waiting for him in the common room when he arrived.

“Good morning,” he greeted the crew. Everyone returned the salutation. Andre spoke next.

“Well that was an interesting turn of events last night.”

“I think it’s pretty clear what Bryant intends to do,” Wesley remarked.

“You don’t know that for sure, Wesley, maybe he’s just messing with you,” Naomi suggested.

“Come on, the man hates me with a fiery vengeance because of what happened to his wife. He blamed me for her death, remember?”

“It wasn’t your fault, somewhere deep down inside he knows that,” she responded.

“Bryant is the most skilled bounty hunter in the galaxy. Now that he’s touched Ava, felt her energy, smelled her, heard her voice . . . he’ll be able to find her anywhere,” Wesley sighed deeply and shook his head, his voice reflected his aggravation.

“Ava’s going to be all right, Wesley. Clearly he had no intentions to harm her, otherwise he would have done it. He knew we weren’t here,” Andre added.

“Precisely! Now he has the means to track her. That’s all he wanted and he got it. It’s me that he wants to suffer and he knows that there is no deeper pain than to be separated from the one you love. He’s figured out that Ava is mine. Sooner or later he’s going to find Xavier and lead him to her, or if he has trouble convincing him, he’ll find a way to take her to him, most likely by whatever means necessary.”

“There’s a lot of ‘ifs’ there, Wesley. While it does seem that is what Bryant intends, he still has to find Xavier. That’s a monumental task in and of itself. It’s a miracle we found him when we needed him ten years ago, remember? Bryant doesn’t know Xavier like we do. Xavier likes to be left alone. He’s like you,” Naomi reasoned. “He only trusts his ‘family’ circle and we know he always uses different aliases when he does surface in public. Even you can’t track him. I’ll bet we’ve crossed paths with him several times over the last ten years and not have even known it,” Naomi suggested.

“That’s right. Besides, since we know what Bryant’s trying to do we can take precautions to see that it doesn’t happen. He doesn’t know about Kyanos. I think you should just take Ava there now and then worry about Kaden,” Justin advised.

“No, it’s still too dangerous. I need more time. I can’t just take Ava away from her home and her job. I know I have to tell her the truth soon, but I’m just not ready yet.”

“We could split up. A few of us could attempt to track Bryant and stop him before he finds Xavier. Some of us could go back to Kyanos and concentrate on locating Kaden. The Principia is almost complete. She’ll be up and running soon. Finally, one of us could stay here with Ava, to make sure she’s safe,” Andre recommended.

“As good as that plan sounds, I think we should stay together. Bryant is long gone by now, we don’t want to add credibility to his story to Xavier by creating a sense of urgency. However, I do think we should get the parts we need and get back to Kyanos as soon as possible to make the Principia operational. Two ships are definitely better odds at defeating Kaden than one.”

“I can stay on Orionis with Ava. She doesn’t need to know about it. I could monitor the comings and goings of the starships and their crew and passenger rosters while keeping tabs on her,” Naomi volunteered. “If anything appears suspicious, I could hack into the system and get us on the next flight out somewhere.”

“Agreed. Thank you Naomi, I think that’s a good idea.”

The next day a new work week started. Ava went back to work at the OMC and the Andromeda departed, minus one crewmember. Ava, believing her friends were on an assignment had dinner with Elaine on Wednesday.

“So, have you had any dates with that guy from the party yet?” Ava asked coyly.

“We’ve talked on the telephone once. He seems a bit shy, but very nice. Maybe he and I will go out. We’ll see,” Elaine said smiling brightly.

“I downloaded that song we heard at the party from the new band. I love it!” Ava mentioned.

“Me too, that reminds me. I saw on The Labyrinth’s schedule online that Geodesic will be playing on Saturday.  Would you like to go?”

“The Labyrinth? I hate that place.” Ava made a face.

“I know, but you wouldn’t be alone this time. I would be there, and your boyfriend and your other friends could come, it’s on Saturday night. They aren’t offering a presale or reservations. We would have to be in line a few hours beforehand I’m sure, but it would be fun!”

“I’d like to see the band, but I don’t know. I’ll ask Wesley on Friday night when he gets in and see what he wants to do. He likes music, but I’m not sure he would want to go to something like this.”

“Okay, well, let me know on Saturday morning what you decide.”

“I will.”

During the week in Wesley’s absence Naomi monitored things on Orionis. Life seemed to progress normally. Nothing unusual occurred and no suspicious flights arrived. On Thursday night Naomi decided to check out the new band Ava had mentioned at their dinner the previous Saturday. Naomi loved all types of music and especially liked finding out about new bands. She typed the band’s name ‘Geodesic’ into the system. Hardly any information seemed to exist on the band. One link to an intergalactic website popped up and one link to ‘The Labyrinth’ appeared. Naomi clicked on the band’s site and was surprised to see how bare-bones it was. That’s odd, she thought. Usually new bands load their websites with tons of information, photos, and links to connect with people to gain loyal fans. The page contained no list of band members or the lead singer himself, no photos, and no touring information. Although simple, the design of the page seemed elegant and meticulous, as if the common information was purposefully left off. The page plainly stated the band’s name, when it was last updated; apparently fairly recently, samples of their songs, and a few links to where their songs could be purchased and downloaded. Naomi clicked on the song samples one by one and listened. She instantly liked it, and she too became absorbed in how creative it was. Then she listened more intently and gasped. She knew that voice, there was no mistaking it.

She worked tirelessly on the intergalactic online system to try and discover the origin of the website but to no avail could not track it. Geodesic and its creators had the data heavily encrypted, Naomi knew this was done intentionally to protect their privacy. Finally she started over and clicked on the original link that appeared to The Labyrinth. Naomi’s jaw dropped when she saw that the band would appear on Orionis in two days. She hacked into Orionis’ network and checked the arrival schedule for Saturday. Naomi knew many of the names of the existing ships that frequented Orionis. There were several ship names that she did not recognize for arrival on Saturday. The Labyrinth had Geodesic scheduled to perform at 10 p.m., she decided that the three ship names that she did not recognize after 6 p.m. would most likely contain the band. One of the same three ships, The Solstice, was scheduled for departure shortly afterwards, this must be them, she thought. She decided not to become too excited about this strange coincidence. She wondered if Bryant knew what she had discovered. She guessed not, it was too convenient.

Naomi waited impatiently at the entrance to the hangar as the Andromeda docked. She needed to tell Wesley what she had discovered immediately so that they could take Ava off of the station. She messaged the ship that she was waiting for them. Ash lowered the entrance ramp as soon as they were properly docked. Naomi ran up to hug and kiss her husband and inform her friends of what she had learned.

“Naomi, is everything okay? Is Ava . . .” Wesley inquired.

“Ava’s fine Wesley, but you aren’t going to believe this,” Naomi cut him off.

“What is it?”

“Ava talked about a new band she had heard at a party last weekend, do you remember?”

“Yes.” Wesley and the others that had gathered were listening to the news intently.

“Last night I decided to check them out too. There’s practically no information  out there on them but I listened to some of their song samples.”

“Go on.”

“You’re not going to believe this, but the lead singer is Xavier, I’m sure of it.”

“Xavier?”

“Yes, and that’s not all. They are scheduled to come to Orionis for a performance tomorrow night!”

“Naomi, I’ll admit that Xavier is more musically inclined than I am, but like me he hates the public eye and anything else that attracts attention. Why would he want to be a lead singer in a group?”

“When you live as long as we do, sometimes you get bored. Maybe he’s doing this for a change of pace. It’s not like he needs the money,” Naomi reasoned, slightly irritated that the group did not seem impressed with what she had discovered.

“Naomi, let’s all have a listen to these songs. Can you download them?”

Within minutes Naomi had fully downloaded Geodesic’s entire album. The captain and crew listened. Wesley took a deep breath.

“You’re right Naomi, it is him.”

“Xave’s actually pretty good,” Andre mused. “I’ll bet that’s Blayke on the guitar. ”Maybe we should form a band once this is all over,” he joked. Wesley glared at him.

“Do you think there is there any chance that Bryant is involved or knows about this?” Wesley asked.

“I don’t think so. Looks like Xavier’s group has probably bypassed him. Bryant doesn’t know about his appreciation for music so why would he suspect him to be a lead singer in a band?”

“We still can’t take any chances. We need to get Ava out of here. In fact, none of us should be here when Xavier arrives. He can sense our presence, not that he would say ‘hello’ or anything, but you never know with his family and we don’t know who is traveling with him.”

“I’ll keep the ship on standby status, in case you want to leave tonight,” Ash offered.

“I still think you should just take Ava to Kyanos and explain everything later. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about Xavier or Bryant,” Justin added.

“Yes, I realize that is the simplest solution,” Wesley replied, irritated with Justin’s persistent recommendations. “However Ava is a human being and she has specific obligations in her life that she feels are important. If I take her away from everything that she has, even with the best intentions, she’ll be confused and angry. I’m still not even sure if she’ll accept me once I tell her what I am, what we all are. Can’t you understand that?”

“We know, Wesley,” Rowan soothed. “We’re just trying to be helpful. Of course we’ll stick with whatever plan you feel is best for Ava.”

“Thank you. Ava should be getting home about now. I’ll take her out to dinner and see if I can convince her to go out of town this weekend.”

“We’ll wait to hear from you.” Andre tossed Wesley his PCD as he walked down the ramp into the hangar.

Ava walked slowly home from work. The on and off again ache in her left lower leg had begun acting up. How could twisting her leg during a fall a few months ago cause so much residual pain? She pondered these thoughts to herself. She decided not to mention it to Wesley, she knew that he felt badly about what had happened to her. Ava had barely finished changing into some casual clothes when her doorbell chimed. She went happily to the door, eager to see Wesley again. The more time they spent together, the harder it felt for her to be apart from him. Somehow she felt energized when she was around him. Always excited to see his handsome face and feel his warm embrace, she wrapped her arms around him while he kissed her. Ava loved the crew’s company also, however was glad it would be only her and Wesley tonight. He took her to a quiet Italian place, the same place he had brought her food from after her incident at The Labyrinth, for dinner.

“How was work this week?” He asked nonchalantly after they were seated.

“Pretty busy, but not crazy. We’ve been seeing some pretty sick patients lately. I’ve been sending more and more patients to the ID clinic, a few of them have developed sepsis. The ID docs believe that the source of the infection is viral. I can tell this trend has Dr. Grant a little worried about a possible epidemic.”

“An epidemic?”

“I suppose it’s possible. I hope it doesn’t happen, Orionis would strictly quarantine the residents and restrict the travel and traffic in the hangar. If you were away if it happened, it’s possible they might not let you back in for your own safety. Then we wouldn’t be able to see each other.”

“That’s terrible.”

Wesley had never worried about illness before. He nor his crew were ever sick, and did not fear becoming exposed to viruses or bacteria that could induce disease. Now that Ava was in the picture her comments began to concern him.

“Is there a vaccine you could have to prevent getting sick with this virus? Certainly you must be worried about being exposed to it. . .”

“There is no vaccine yet, they think this is a new virus. And yes, it is pretty scary. But what can I do? It’s my job, it’s what I am here for. At least there have only been a few cases so far. I guess we’ll see what happens.” She shrugged. He could sense that she felt a little tired.

Wesley decided to change the subject, now that he had yet another thing to worry about. He needed to make up an excuse to take Ava away from Orionis for the weekend.

“Ava, I was wondering if you would like to take a quick last minute trip to Antares this weekend. Mia has been begging me to take her back there so that she can see some of her friends. You could see your friends Alexis and Marc. She’s probably due pretty soon, and with the trend my schedule is going down, I’m not sure how quickly I’ll be able to get you back there to see them after the baby is born. It would be a great trip for both of you.”

“You want to fly to Antares this weekend? That’s kind of short notice. I’m not sure what Alexis’ plans are, I suppose I could message her.”

“She doesn’t see you very much, I’m sure that she would make time for you.”

“Well, actually I was going to ask you if you, and the crew, wanted to go with me and Elaine to see Geodesic at The Labyrinth tomorrow night. Their music is pretty good, and we never seem to have concerts here.”

“These musicians are always on the move. I’m sure you would have an opportunity to see them again sometime soon.”

Ava felt somewhat surprised at the thought of flying out for the weekend. It would be her first trip out since the last time when they encountered the space pirates. She did not want to disappoint Elaine, but at the same time felt excited about spending so much time with Wesley. She decided she wanted to be with Wesley more than she wanted to see a concert.

“Are you sure we could be back here by Sunday evening? I do have to work on Monday.”

“Absolutely. We can leave tonight after dinner, you can sleep all you want to on the ship. You’ll be well rested by the time we get back on Sunday. Do I hear a yes?” Wesley smiled hopefully at her.

“Well, okay. I’ll need a few minutes to pack after we’re done here and then I’ll be ready.”

“Perfect. I’ll alert the crew to ready the ship while you are packing. Mia will be so pleased.” Wesley kissed Ava’s hand and smiled at her, happy not to have to press her into leaving for the weekend. She sensed he was pleased, however, had no idea the relief he felt after persuading her to leave and avoid any possible contact with Xavier.

After dinner Wesley and Ava walked back to her quarters. Wesley started punching buttons furiously on his PCD while Ava messaged Alexis, to let her know that she will be in town on Saturday evening on Antares, and then called Elaine to tell her that she could not go to the concert with her. Elaine expressed some disappointment but understood. She told Ava she would ask the new guy she met at the party to go with her and promised to give Ava the full report the following week.

Wesley carried Ava’s lightly packed travel bag as they took the lift, and then a tram to the hangar. A nearby digital clock displayed the time, 10:30 p.m. She leaned against him and closed her eyes. Wesley wrapped an arm around her, feeling sorry that he had to inconvenience her so late on a Friday when he knew she was tired. The light activity on the tram contrasted greatly with the hectic crowds in the hangar.

“I had no idea Friday nights were so busy in the hangar,” Ava said to Wesley as they waited in line for processing through security and the ITO.

“The weekends are the busiest. Believe it or not there are many starships that dock here on the weekends, lots of people coming home to their families. I’m sure the ITO will be happy we are leaving so that they have an extra space to dock another ship.”

It seemed like an eternity before Ava and Wesley made it to the Andromeda. The sight of the enormous silver ship always impressed Ava.

“Ava, how are you! Are you ready for a fun weekend?” Naomi called out enthusiastically to the pair as they walked up towards her on the ramp.

“Of course, how could I say no to all of you?” Ava replied.

“Ava’s had a long week, I think she’s ready for some rest,” Wesley added, looking at Ava.

“No problem. It should be an easy trip, we’ll push it so that we’ll arrive on Antares for you to have plenty of time with your friend tomorrow,” Naomi said pleasantly, glancing at Wesley.

The crew greeted Ava warmly as she entered the ship. Rowan handed both Ava and Wesley glasses of cool water as they arrived. Ava greeted everyone in turn and then made her way to the observation deck. After takeoff, Wesley escorted Ava to his quarters to help her unpack and she settled into bed. Everyone knew that they were a couple, so there was no point for them to have separate quarters anymore. Ava wanted nothing more but to get some sleep. Once she was situated, Wesley left her and returned to the flight deck.

“That was a close call. It’s a good thing Ava has friends on Antares,” Ash mused.

“It’s a good thing Mia has friends on Antares,” Wesley replied, sliding into his seat, leaning back and folding his hands behind his head. He breathed an audible sigh of relief.

“Do you think she suspects anything?”

“Not at all, but I’m going to have to have to come up with a spectacular excuse the next time Geodesic tours on Orionis.”

“Maybe by the next time Ava will know the truth and she won’t need any convincing.”

“Perhaps. I want to tell her the truth soon. I know it would make my life much easier although I can’t say it would make Ava’s life easier. However, I need to do it and I need to time it right. There never seems to be an ideal moment.”

“You’ll find the right time. Sooner or later it’s going to come out.”

After an hour or so into the flight, convinced that everything was progressing uneventfully, Wesley left Ash to his work and returned to his quarters. He entered the dark room silently, removed his boots, pulled off his shirt, and slid into bed next to Ava carefully without waking her. Lying beside her, listening to her soft rhythmic breathing, Wesley tried to think of a way he could gently tell Ava about himself. He feared rejection from her more than anything else. No brilliant ideas tonight, he thought, before he too fell asleep.

The Andromeda docked on Antares just after noon on Saturday. Ash had hauled away from Orionis as fast as possible, trying to avoid crossing paths with The Solstice. Naomi and Andre took responsibility for monitoring it to be sure there would be no more close calls. Ava noticed that Wesley and the crew’s mood seemed more relaxed this day than over the last few weeks. Ava messaged Alexis, who seemed excited to have a surprise visit from Ava, and the two women met up to spend the afternoon together. Wesley and Andre collected a few more parts needed for the Principia while Rowan and Justin purchased several plants for Kyanos, which would be their next stop after taking Ava back to Orionis. Mia visited her friends, with a little extra enthusiasm than normal, to collaborate with the story Wesley had given Ava. The captain and crew felt nothing but relief and they were pleased they had intercepted a chance encounter between Ava and Xavier. Wesley met Ava with Alexis and Marc for dinner, then afterwards back to the Andromeda for the overnight trip back to Orionis.

Chapter 15

Afflicted

As promised, Wesley delivered Ava back to her quarters on Orionis safe and well rested by five o’clock Sunday evening. She knew they would be leaving again in a few hours.

“The coming and going, it never ends does it?” Ava asked Wesley gently as she wrapped her arms around him.

“It’s a tough business, Ava. I don’t like leaving you behind week after week, but that’s the way it is right now.”

“I know. I’m not complaining. I just worry about you that’s all. I’m concerned that you aren’t getting enough rest.”

“I’m fine, Ava, trust me. Ash and I take turns piloting the ship. Andre could even fly the Andromeda if I needed him to. There’s nothing to worry about. It’s been peaceful out there lately. Don’t lose any sleep over me, you need your rest too.”

“Every week it seems harder and harder to say goodbye to you.”

“I feel the same.” He ran his hand slowly over her face and through her hair. “Ava, there will come a time when we can be together every day. I’m working on a solution, but it’s taking longer than I expected.”

“What solution?” Ava looked at him with surprised eyes.

“I will tell you when I have more information.” He said, smiling encouragingly at her. “But for now, just know that I love you and that I am always thinking of you.”

Ava told Wesley she loved him and then he was gone and she was alone again. She shook off the feelings of loneliness by busying herself with preparing to go back to work tomorrow. She messaged Elaine, letting her know she made it back okay and invited her to meet up for dinner on Tuesday. She still felt bad about cancelling going to the concert with her friend.

Elaine arrived early at the café Tuesday night, sitting for a few minutes watching the crowds of people rush by after work. Ava met her friend at the entrance, happy to have company for the evening.

“I got us a table on outside of the restaurant on the patio, is that okay?” Elaine announced.

“That’s great. How are you?”

“Doing well as always. And you? How was your trip?”

“It was great to see my friend again. She’s due in a few weeks.”

“That’s exciting. I’ve been to Antares only once, with my ex. Having a significant other who works on a starship has its advantages.”

“Yes it does. I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you to see Geodesic. How were they?”

“You missed a great concert. I’ve never seen The Labyrinth so packed, despite the steep admission fee.” Elaine proceeded with the full report. “The lead singer and band members were dressed all in black, but otherwise looked pretty normal.”

“Did they have tons of makeup on and piercings everywhere?” Ava joked.

“Actually no, thank God. I hate it when musicians wear jewelry, eye makeup and face paint. It’s like you can’t see who they really are, like they are hiding from the universe or something.”

“I suppose some musicians aren’t really comfortable in their own skin,” Ava added.

“Anyway, they weren’t much for a light show, however the music sounded great. The lead singer was very tall and very handsome. I’d say he looked like he was in his late twenties. I wasn’t sitting very close but I could see that he had dark hair and blue eyes. He had the most amazing voice, it was very smooth and soothing. I don’t think my date seemed impressed, but I think most of the women in the audience were. They performed for a nice amount of time, a little over an hour and a half. I always feel ripped off when you pay all of that money and only get an hour’s worth of a show, so it was a nice change.”

“I’m glad you had a good time, I’m sorry I missed it. Do you know if the band is coming back anytime soon?”

“I don’t think so. According to their site, their next concert is on Polaris.”

“That’s too bad. Maybe I’ll catch them the next time they come to Orionis.”

“I’d definitely go,” Elaine smiled coyly at Ava.

“How are you getting on with Kurt?” Ava asked, inquiring about Elaine’s new boyfriend.

“Pretty good. We’re keeping it slow. Seems like we’ve both had a bad split from our exes so it’s working out well. He seems honest and solid.”

“Glad to hear that,” Ava said, sipping her glass of iced tea; her treat for the week.

Ava and her friend continued to catch up, Elaine giving Ava the details of her promising new date. Then, after what seemed like only a short while, it was time to go home and get ready to start all over again.

By Tuesday evening Wesley and his crew were back on Kyanos, receiving an update on the progress of the re-building from Vance. The small planet was now entering the end of the summer season.

“Welcome back, Captain.”

“It’s good to be back, Vance. I trust everything is almost back to normal?”

“Yes it is. I am happy to report that we have had no sightings or blips of any kind from a certain starship and it’s infamous captain,” he replied, referring to Kaden.

“I’m relieved to hear that, however we cannot be too careful. He’ll be back sooner or later and we need to be ready.”

“The Principia is coming along nicely, were you able to obtain the parts we need?”

“We have them in the cargo hold. Rowan also has some plant life to transplant. Were you able to salvage the fields?”

“We removed all of the debris from the last attack and plowed them again. We can re-plant them in the spring.”

“Sounds like you are doing a great job keeping up with things. How is Rochelle?”

“She and the baby are doing well. She’ll be due in two more months. We are very excited,” he smiled appreciatively at the thought of becoming a parent soon.

“That is good to hear.”

“Captain?” Vance looked inquisitively at Wesley.

“What is it, Vance?”

“Is it true that you are thinking of taking up a permanent residence here soon?”

“That is the plan, once Kaden is out of the picture.”

“Is it also true that you have found someone special to share your life with?” Vance hated to ask Wesley personal questions for the risk of offending him. He had known the captain all of his life and had witnessed how solitary his existence seemed.

“Yes, that is true. After all of this time I have found someone,” he said softly, looking out into the distance.

“Well, that is wonderful . . .” Vance began but Wesley cut him off.

“She is human.” Wesley looked back at Vance, a serious expression on his face.

“Human?” A look of surprise overtook his face.

“Yes. Her name is Ava.”

“How is that possible? Aren’t you supposed to be matched up with . . .”

Wesley cut him off again. “I don’t know how it’s possible, Vance, but it is done,” Wesley replied, losing patience with the conversation. He wasn’t used to explaining this to anyone. His crewmembers, his family in actuality, never questioned it. They simply accepted the situation for what it was and supported it.

Vance could see this was a sensitive issue for Wesley and decided not to press it. “Well, we will look forward to welcoming her when she arrives, whenever that may be.”

“Thank you, Vance, I will appreciate that,” he said quietly. “Andre and I are going to take a look at the Principia and then I’m going to call it a night.”

“Yes, Captain. I’m sure you both will be pleased to see the progress our engineers have made.”

Wesley turned back towards the ship where Andre met him. The two men hopped into a nearby courier and then shot out of the Andromeda’s hangar heading towards the one that housed the incomplete starship. Vance watched his two friends leave, pondering Wesley’s situation. He had never known Wesley to take an interest other than friendship with any human before. He realized this must have been a shock to Wesley. He wondered how this Ava felt about the match.

In the few days that followed the captain and crew inspected the Principia. The mood in the hangar reflected the excitement of the engineers that the starship neared completion. The new vessel was modeled after the Andromeda, however it would be smaller and faster, with the latest technology. Wesley and the crew were very proud of their colony and how far they had come from only a few residents in the beginning.

Wesley’s mood improved as he began to feel more positive about the future he might have with Ava. He knew she would love the warm outside air and to see a real sunrise and sunset. She could walk around outside in the lush green grass in her bare feet without needing shoes or heavy clothing for the first time. Ava was too young to recall the Earth, the way it had been, but Wesley remembered. Kyanos was not Earth, but he felt certain that she would feel at home here. He shifted out of these happy thoughts back to the task at hand. The new starship still needed some additional parts before it could be completed. He and the crew would head out the next day to acquire them, stopping at Orionis on the way back to check on Ava once more.

The Andromeda left the atmosphere of Kyanos headed swiftly back towards the known galaxy that contained the space station Ava lived on. The captain and crew were unaware that they were being followed. An invisible black starship latched on to their trajectory and trailed behind them. Kaden had witnessed the numerous comings and goings of the Andromeda and wondered where the captain needed to be that was so much more important than the colony of humans and the planet he desperately wanted to protect. This could be the key to his misery and his undoing, Kaden thought to himself. Kaden’s six foot, three inch muscular frame made him appear more powerful than Wesley, however he knew if it came down to hand to hand combat, Kaden had to admit that Wesley would be the more powerful one. This he knew because Wesley was older and only ever had one human body. Kaden, so different than Wesley, cared nothing for humans. He loved to toy with his victims, make them wonder why he does things. It could drive you mad. This lack of respect for human life gave way to an un-measurable cruelty. All that concerned him was the sanctity of his own life, his starship, and his four crew members. Nothing else mattered.

The Andromeda eased off of the absolute velocity as it neared Orionis, preparing to accept clearance and enter the hangar, as usual. The Draconis did the same, only it did not follow The Andromeda into the station. It hovered nearby, maintaining its invisibility. Kaden’s first mate, Darius, hacked into the network and pulled up Orionis’ docking log.

“This is where he’s been spending all of his time. He’s been here numerous times, almost every weekend,” Darius reported to Kaden.

“That’s odd. Who in their right mind would deliberately come to Orionis of all places?” Kaden wondered aloud to himself. “Whatever it is, it must be pretty damn important for him to go through all of that security each time.”

“What now?” Darius asked impatiently.

Kaden narrowed his small, steely gray eyes and studied the massive station. He ran his hand over the top of his sharply crew cut platinum blonde hair. “When is he scheduled to depart?”

Darius punched a few more buttons. “In approximately forty-eight hours.”

“I’ll bet they are going to head back to Kyanos.”

“Should we wait here and blast him when they come out?” Darius asked with a hopeful smile. “We could take them down pretty easily, they wouldn’t expect it.”

“No, I’ve got something better in mind. Turn the ship around. Let’s go to Sceptrum. We’re going to need some supplies.” He grinned maliciously at Darius. This is going to be fun, he thought to himself.

It is Friday night, Ava’s favorite night of the week. She rushed home from work, eager to freshen up and see Wesley and her friends again. At six-thirty without fail Wesley pressed her doorbell and Ava ran to him. They held each other closely for a few moments before heading out the door for dinner. It seemed that Wesley could not stop smiling at her.

“How was your mission this week? You seem very relaxed,” Ava inquired once they sat down.

“It went very well. No problems. I’m just so happy to see you again.”

“Me too.”

“How was your week? Have you seen any more cases of that new virus?”

“We think there was one, it’s not confirmed yet. It happened only yesterday.”

“I’m relieved that you are all right. I worry about you when I’m out.”

“There’s no need to worry, I’m fine,” Ava reassured him confidently. She knew that she could potentially be exposed at the clinic, but did not want Wesley to worry about her. He had plenty of other things to do on his missions.

He laced his fingers in one of Ava’s hands and held it gently on the table. “Ava, tell me about your life growing up on Earth. Was there ever a time you were able to go up onto the surface?”

“I don’t believe so. I was always told it was freezing up there. Besides, there seemed to be lots of crime. My aunt Katherine said some people still lived in the ruined cities but that they were dangerous.”

“Did you ever see the sun?”

“Only on television or online, not in person until I came here.”

“Do you miss the Earth?”

“I miss it a little bit, I guess. I have to admit that my living conditions are substantially better here. At least the air quality is a step up and the food is better. Life seems a little less complicated here than the underground city I used to live in. Who knows, maybe someday I could transfer to Earth II when it’s complete. Do you think it will be everything that the news says it will be?”

“Pretty close. I guess that’s something to think about,” he replied softly.

They continued to chat as they ate their dinner, then went for a walk around the avenues leading up to The Square. Ava noticed the small ache in her left leg as they walked but said nothing. The fact that this ache has gone on for so long began to worry her. She started to think about having it checked out when they arrived back at her quarters and Wesley started chatting again as they watched the monitor. A program about alien sightings and abductions came on.

“What do you think about beings from another world. Do you think it’s possible they could exist?” he inquired.

Ava laughed, surprised at his question. She felt he was kidding around. “Don’t you think that if aliens existed that we would have seen them and had solid proof by now besides these sketchy eye witness accounts?” she replied, half serious.

“Possibly. I’m really not sure.” He smiled at her and tried to keep this conversation light. He wanted to test her emotions out on the subject. He wished to tell her the truth soon and needed to search for a way to begin this conversation.

“Besides, you’ve traveled the galaxy. You of all people would probably have seen them if they are truly out there,” she continued.

“Let’s just pretend for a moment that intelligent beings other than humans existed. How would you feel about that?”

“What?” She laughed again. “Wesley, why are we even talking about this?” She found it hard to keep a straight face.

“You have a brilliant scientific mind. I was just curious to hear your thoughts.”

“Well, it would probably be terrifying. Every program I have ever happened to watch on the subject conveys an attitude of fear. People believe that aliens would not be friendly, and most likely want to kill us all to take our resources.”

“I could believe that. People think aliens are evil, I get that. But what if there were beings out there that were not terrifying. Some humans are evil while most humans are peaceful. What if there were peaceful beings out there?”

“The likelihood of that happening is less than the chance of human survival on Earth. I don’t know what to tell you,” she snapped. “Can we please change the subject and talk about something else?” Ava found their conversation about aliens a little disturbing. As a child she sometimes had nightmares about aliens and never liked watching documentaries on the “what ifs” of alien existence. She didn’t mention it at the time, but she had a hard time playing the virtual reality game with aliens in it when they took their first trip to Capri together.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said softly as he tapped a button on the remote to change the channel to the news. He felt somewhat disappointed at her reluctance to explore the subject. The discussion wasn’t a total waste though. He had made a decision. When he told her the truth, he needed to have her on the ship, away from Orionis. At least then she could not run away and potentially cause a scene. Maintaining a low profile was the key to the existence of his kind amongst the humans. Despite her biased opinion of non-human beings, he knew she could understand him if she had an open mind. He pulled her easily to him, holding her. She rested her head against his chest, closed her eyes, and listened to his heart beating steadily.

Ava could hardly believe how fast the weekend flew by before the time ran out and she had to say good-bye to her boyfriend and the crew, whom had become her family. Ava met them in The Square to say good-bye, feeling a little tired. Rowan and Justin had finished their shopping and joined the group to say farewell to Ava before heading down to clear security to get back on the Andromeda. Ava and Naomi were discussing the possible plans for next weekend when they were approached. Rowan hugged Ava warmly and handed her a small package.

“I thought you might like this.” She smiled pleasantly at Ava.

Ava opened the small package. It was a festively decorated plastic container filled with what appeared to be dried herbs and flowers. The lid had small openings in it to allow the sweet fragrance to diffuse out. She smiled as she inhaled deeply.

“It’s an air freshener. I thought you might like it for your living room. I made it from some of the flowers I grow.”

“It’s beautiful, Rowan, thank you. I love it. I will really enjoy it. Sometimes the air isn’t as fresh as it could be in here.” Wesley smiled at Ava as she thanked Rowan. He noticed that Justin seemed to study Ava as she interacted with the group.

“Ava are you feeling okay?” Justin asked. Suddenly there were seven pairs of eyes on her. The group knew Justin would not ask Ava such a question unless he suspected something was wrong.

“I’m a little tired, but otherwise I’m fine.”

Wesley, suddenly alarmed, put a hand on her forehead, carefully feeling for an elevated temperature. He did not sense anything abnormal and removed his hand away from her face.

“I’m okay, really.”

“You haven’t had a fever, chills, headaches, or anything unusual?” Justin inquired, still observing her.

“I’m fine. I’ve been really busy at work lately and I haven’t had any extra time off so I’m a little tired. It happens. I promise I’ll take it easy this week and get lots of rest.” She did not want them to worry about her.

“Are you sure, Ava? I can stay with you this week if you like,” Wesley offered.

“I know you need to do your job. Don’t worry, nothing’s going to happen to me while you are gone.” She tried to sound convincing. Their concern for her health suddenly began upset her. She knew she had seen a patient a few days ago that possibly had the unusual virus that has been fatal in all of its possible number of cases. Could she be sure she was okay?

“Drink lots of water and get plenty of rest,” Justin advised.

“I promise.” She nodded at him. Ava did not have as close of a relationship with Justin as she did with some of the other crew members. She liked him, however, there was something that made her slightly uneasy about him during their trip home after the stop on the abandoned space station. She couldn’t quite figure it out. He had always been kind to her. She wondered why she felt the way she did. She never mentioned it to Wesley.

With that, Ava bid farewell to her friends in the busy Square as the people rushed by around them, getting to where they needed to be. Then Ava became one of them, walking back to her quarters alone. She laid down on her bed and rested for an hour. Still feeling tired she took her temperature, out of curiosity. Normal. I’m fine, she thought, still somewhat apprehensive over Justin’s concern for her health. She thought back to her patient last week. She had seen the thirty- five-year-old man, a permanent resident on Orionis, on Monday. He had a mildly elevated temperature, feeling fatigued, and he looked pale sitting on the exam table. Other than that, everything else appeared normal. His vital signs were stable, except for the mildly elevated temp. He had no indication of a bacterial infection. She prescribed him the antiviral medication that had become the new protocol for anyone suspected of having a virus, out of precaution from the fatalities that had occurred. There was not much else to do for him at this point except supportive care such as rest and fluids and to notify her if his condition worsened. Ava remembered he had sneezed several times during the visit. This memory concerned her now.

Ava heard from the patient again on Thursday. He reported that his symptoms had worsened and Ava asked him to return to the clinic. He now had a temperature of one hundred and two degrees, seemed very pale and weak, had an increased pulse rate and had a slight decrease in his blood pressure. He stated that he could not sleep during the night because he would alternate between shaking chills and uncomfortable sweating. A red itchy rash had appeared on his body over the past two days. Aside from the sneezing, he was now coughing frequently. He did not know where he could have caught such an illness, he knew of no one at work or at home that had been ill. His only exposure was visiting the grocery store a few days before his symptoms appeared. At this visit, Ava knew this patient’s condition was deteriorating. She consulted Dr. Grant and Dr. Tom, who had the patient admitted for possible sepsis. After the patient was admitted to the hospital unit, Ava had no further updates on his condition. She wondered whether or not he was okay, she hoped his condition had improved over the weekend.

Ava returned to work on Monday morning as usual, still feeling tired. She saw Dr. Grant in the hall mid-morning and asked him if he had an update on the patient from Thursday.

“Good morning, Ava. Yes, I do have an update for you. Unfortunately the patient’s condition continued to worsen. His blood pressure dropped and we tried to push fluids on him to bring it up. Meanwhile his temperature continued to elevate despite all of the medications. The blood cultures were negative. Tom believes it was that virus that has been going around. He is trying to isolate it and look for antibodies but hasn’t had any luck. This is something we have never seen before. To make a long story short, we placed the patient on a different antiviral medication and he went into an un-explained renal failure yesterday. He is still in intensive care on dialysis and it is uncertain whether or not he’s going to make it.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Tom’s ready to call for respiratory precautions across the station for anyone who has a cough or sneeze. We may even have to start screening anyone who comes in from the hangar if this trend continues.”

“Does the OMC have that kind of authority?”

“Absolutely.”

Ava continued to talk with Dr. Grant for a few minutes regarding the new recommendations for what to do with any new patient who presents for an elevated temperature and a cough or sneeze. The rest of the day went by quickly. She felt exhausted by the end of it and wanted to go home and sleep. She napped for two hours, ate dinner, showered, and went back to bed. She began to worry as she drifted off to sleep; it was not like her to be so tired all of the time.

Ava woke in a mild sweat a few times during the night. She took her temperature when she arrived at work. The thermometer read ninety-nine degrees. Ava tried not to be paranoid over herself, but this worried her. Maybe Justin was right, maybe she was sick. How would he know that just by looking at her? Tuesday morning came quickly. By the mid-afternoon she started to feel dizzy and asked the secretaries to cancel the rest of her afternoon. She went to find Dr. Grant to report her symptoms. Luckily, he was in his office.

“Ava, I heard you aren’t feeling well,” he said as she walked in.

“No, I’m not, Dr. Grant. Actually I’m kind of concerned. I’ve been feeling tired since Friday and this morning I began running a mild temperature. I’ve also been feeling a little dizzy. I’m worried that I might have that new virus my patient had last week.”

“This is concerning, Ava, it’s good that you cancelled your clinic. Have you taken your temperature since this morning? Yes, just a few minutes ago, it’s still at ninety-nine. Low grade, but enough to make you feel terrible. I asked the nurse to take my other vitals, they are still normal.”

“No other symptoms?”

“I was a little sweaty last night, but that’s it.”

“Okay. I’m going to prescribe you the anti-virals we gave your patient last week. I’m not sure you have that new virus, but I’d like to watch you. Cancel your clinic for the rest of the week and get plenty of rest. Start taking the anti-virals tonight and call me if anything changes. Better yet, come in and see Tom tomorrow, just so we can keep a close eye on you.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“I hope you feel better. Call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you, I will.”

Ava made her appointment with Dr. Tom for tomorrow afternoon and asked the secretaries to cancel her clinic for the rest of the week. She picked up the medications from the pharmacy and slowly made her way home. She tried not to let her condition worry her and she thought of Wesley. He would be so worried if he came back on Friday night and she was not there. She also did not want to expose him to the virus either, at least not any more than he had been. She left a message in the queue for him to receive when the Andromeda was back within reception range of Orionis. She wrote that she was not feeling well and was being started on antivirals, but that she was okay. She hoped she would be.

Tuesday night into Wednesday was rough for Ava. She could not make herself comfortable. Her temperature had not changed, however she started having achiness in her joints and a headache. After a night of intermittent sleep, she woke up late, showered, took her medication, and made it to her appointment with Dr. Tom.

“Heard you were feeling ill, Ava. How are you today?” Dr. Tom inquired as he entered the exam room with his nurse, both of them wearing masks.

“I think I’m getting worse.”

“Your temperature and heart rate are elevated. Blood pressure is still normal. Respirations normal. Are you having any other symptoms?”

“I’m sweating during the night and my joints ache terribly. I’m still feeling dizzy and weak. I started taking the antiviral meds yesterday and I’ve been taking aspirin to reduce the fever.”

“I see.” Dr. Tom examined Ava carefully. “You look worn out and pale. Ava, I don’t think we should take any chances with you given your exposure to the new virus last week. I think we should admit you as I understand you do not have anyone at home to keep an eye on you.”

“Admit me to the hospital unit?”

“Yes, I think that would be prudent.”

“You think it’s that serious?”

“I do think it’s that serious. I’d like to run some tests on you.”

“Dr. Tom, do you know what happened to the patient I saw last week that became ill and was admitted? I know that you were on the case.”

“Yes, Ava. Unfortunately we could not stabilize him and he expired yesterday.”

“Oh no.” Ava looked at the floor, still feeling dizzy.

“I’ll have Amy,” Dr. Tom gestured to his nurse, “get started on your admission orders to the hospital unit.” He put a hand on her shoulder. You can stay here until they get your room ready. The nurses can wheel you down there and I’ll come and check on you once my clinic is over in about an hour.”

“Thank you, Dr. Tom. Can I use the computer in here to send a message while I am waiting?”

“Certainly.”

“Thank you.”

Ava didn’t know what to think to do other than send Wesley another message in the queue. One thing was certain, she was sick, and getting worse. She did not want to expose Wesley and the crew more than she already had. She worried about them, hoping that they had not become ill from spending time with her this past weekend. She wrote to Wesley about her condition and that she was being admitted and to stay away and that she would leave a message when she started to feel better. If she would feel better, she wondered. She also sent Elaine a brief message, notifying her of her condition. She tried to sound positive despite the fact that her patient’s death frightened her.

A few hours later Ava was resting in her small private hospital unit room. Dr. Tom had ordered several blood tests, a urine test, chest imaging, and placed her on respiratory droplet precautions. This meant that everyone entering the room must wear gloves and a mask. A nurse had started an intravenous drip to provide fluid support as Ava had lost her appetite. As the night approached, her temperature slowly increased and she began to feel worse and worse. How ironic, Ava thought with her face unconsciously set in a bitter frown. I might die from possibly the same virus that killed Nathan. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered her late husband. She still regretted not being able to say good-bye to him before he died. She knew it wasn’t her fault. She suddenly began to worry about Wesley. What if she died suddenly and she could not say good-bye to him? No, I must think positively, I’m going to make it through this, she silently told herself. No matter how hard she tried to push these dark thoughts from her mind, they kept creeping back, little by little, until she finally fell asleep.

Ava remained stable on Thursday morning. It took her a long time to take her sponge bath in her weakened condition. Dr. Tom came in with her nurse in the late afternoon.

“How are you feeling today, Ava?”

“I’m a little worse, I think.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, you look very pale.” He lifted the electronic tablet and reviewed her vital signs, noting the elevation in temperature, now 103.6 degrees.

“What did my tests show?”

“Your complete blood count indicates that you have a viral infection, as we suspected. Your urine test indicated that there is a trace amount of protein present.”

“Protein in my urine? I’ve never had that before.”

“Ava, I’m going to be honest with you. This virus is very serious. The patients we have treated so far have gone into renal failure and we’ve had difficulty stabilizing them. The protein in your urine concerns me. It means that you could be heading in that direction. Now we are going to do everything that we can for you. I remain hopeful that because you are young and strong and that we started treating you early, we can try to prevent you from getting much worse, but as you know, we have no cure for this virus right now.”

Ava stared at the floor. Her head ached and she wished Wesley was with her. He always had a plan, always knew what to say or do. “I understand.”

“I’m going to run a few more tests today. Believe me, we are working around the clock to isolate this virus and develop an effective antiviral. Meanwhile, I’m going to change some of your fluids around and start some steroids. That may help to keep some of the inflammation in the kidneys down. All we need you to do is rest and report any changes in your condition to your nurse.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Ava?”

“Yes,” she said absently. The news of her condition had sort of numbed her.

“Is there anything else I can do for you? Do you need anything?”

“No, thank you. I’ll just rest, like you said.”

“Where is your boyfriend? Would you like me to speak with him?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. Besides, he’s a captain of the starship Andromeda and he’s not within range right now. He’s due back on Friday night.” Hopefully I can make it that long, she thought to herself.

“I see. If you need anything, Ava, please don’t hesitate to have me paged.”

“Thank you, Dr. Tom. You’ve been very kind.”

“You are welcome. I’ll stop by later this evening to check on you.”

“Okay.”

After the doctor left, and the next wave of blood and urine tests were obtained, Ava fell asleep again, with the help of some of the pain relievers the doctor prescribed. Ava hated fevers, they have such a way of making you feel terrible. Dr. Grant stopped by a little after four o’clock, dressed in respiratory isolation gear.

“How’s our Ava doing?” he inquired cheerfully.

Ava knew he was trying to be positive. She felt awful and probably looked it judging from the way his medically trained eyes were studying her. “I’m hanging in there I guess.” She managed a weak smile at him.

“Has there been much change since this morning?”

“I don’t think so. Still aching everywhere.”

“Just think, when you make it through this, we can create a research study to identify and isolate the antibodies your body develops to rid you of this virus.” She could not tell from his tone whether or not he was being serious.

“Sounds like fun,” she laughed feebly.

They spoke for a few more minutes before he left for the day. He did not want to wear her out. His visit meant a lot to her. She was pleased that he actually did care about her as a person, not just as a co-worker. She never doubted that he was a good man. She envied Dr. Tom for having such a kind, patient father. She herself, had never really known her parents.

Ava began to feel much worse overnight. Her fever increased slightly and she could not become comfortable no matter what position she tried to rest in, nor whatever the nursing staff could do to help her. She felt as though she were burning inside out and wondered how much longer this could go on. The nursing staff paged Dr. Tom during the early morning hours to notify him of the change in Ava’s condition. He left a few more orders to help make her more comfortable. She had developed a mild rash by the time he rounded on her in the morning.

The latest test results had become available and Ava’s condition continued to worsen. The urine analysis revealed that the protein levels had increased and now there was evidence of blood in the urine. Ava’s kidneys were not in good shape. Dr. Tom placed her on respiratory isolation to protect the hospital staff. Droplet precautions were initiated across the entire station as the doctors were concerned about a possible epidemic given the recent rise in the number of cases. Despite their best efforts to prevent the symptoms of a full blown case of the virus, they now knew that Ava’s condition was progressing in the same fashion as the previous patients they had tried to save. She appeared to be heading towards renal failure. They knew her condition was potentially grave and Dr. Tom made the decision to move her to the Critical Care Unit. The nephrologist assigned to Ava’s case recommended starting hemodialysis on Friday afternoon. Between the shaking chills and burning up, Ava could not do much other than lie there and try to rest. She could not stop thinking of Wesley and her friends, she did not want to leave them without saying good-bye, but how much longer could she hold on?

The Andromeda left Kyanos several hours early and was ahead of schedule to arrive back on Orionis. Wesley felt uneasy leaving Ava on Sunday after Justin’s comments about her health. He was anxious to check on her. As they neared Orionis, Wesley checked for messages from Ava as he routinely did. As soon as he could access and read the messages Ava had left for him regarding her condition, he could barely contain himself. Andre took over handling the docking of the ship because Wesley could not concentrate on Orionis’ strict procedures at this time. As soon as the ship touched down and the ramp was lowered, he, Naomi, and Andre literally ran to the security checkpoint, leaving the others to secure the ship before they too would join them. Fortunately, the officers on duty were used to seeing the three of them and expedited their clearance, providing them with masks to wear to comply with the newly initiated droplet precautions. They broke into a vigorous run to the OMC hospital unit as soon as they left security. The normal people walking around the station stopped to stare as the light-footed trio hurried past them in a blur. Naomi and Andre could not keep up with Wesley as he ran as fast as he could, the three of them were careful not to crash into anyone in their haste. The last thing they needed was another security delay. Wesley wished he could teleport there, which would take mere seconds, but he could not risk being seen.

He ran up to the front desk of the OMC hospital unit and paused only to ask where Ava was. Once he found out, he was off again, this time walking in a hurry as the receptionist informed him that running in the OMC was strictly forbidden. Not wanting to attract the attention of security he abided by their rules. He arrived at Ava’s room scarcely out of breath. He ignored the respiratory isolation sign on the door and was about to walk in before the nurse stopped him.

“Sir! You can’t go in there without putting these on,” she commanded while pointing to the cart next to the door with the personal protection equipment which consisted of gloves, a disposable isolation gown, and a mask with an eye shield.

She showed him what he needed and as soon as he was properly “protected” he opened the door and stepped in. He ran over to Ava, who was sleeping, sat down at the chair close to her bedside and touched her face. She felt so hot, too hot, he noticed. A red blotchy rash covered her body and there was an IV in her left arm, slowly pumping fluid into her. Her breathing was quick and he saw that she was being given oxygen through nasal cannula through her nose. He continued to stroke her face gently for a few moments until Naomi and Andre arrived, wearing the appropriate “protection” gear that they did not really need.

“How is she?” Naomi asked through her mask, her voice full of concern.

“I don’t know, but it’s bad. I need to talk to her nurse, or her doctor immediately,” he replied quietly. He did not want to disturb Ava’s rest.

“We can wait with her while you do that. We need to know what’s going on, maybe there is something we can do,” she replied softly.

Wesley immediately rose from the chair and marched out of the room to the nurse’s station. He asked one of the masked women at the desk who Ava’s nurse was. The woman at the desk paged Heather, Ava’s nurse, for the evening shift. She came quickly to speak with Wesley. He introduced himself and began asking questions.

“What is happening to her? I last saw her on Sunday and it’s hard to believe she has become this ill so suddenly.”

“Captain, Ava has apparently contracted the virus that has been going around the station. Unfortunately we haven’t found a cure yet and our care is mostly supportive at this time.”

“What is the virus doing to her that she is so ill?”

“She has been running a fever in her body’s attempt to fight it off, however she has not shown any signs of improvement. It appears as though the virus is attacking her kidneys. It is a condition known as glomerulonephritis, or inflammation of the small blood vessels in the kidneys. Her tests are showing that there is so much inflammation going on that her kidneys are not functioning normally. The nephrologist on the case has started hemodialysis to take the strain off of the kidneys, however she has not shown any signs of improvement.”

“What else is being done, or can be done?”

Before Heather could answer, a blonde man with blue eyes, wearing a mask, approached. He had overheard the conversation about Ava and introduced himself as Dr. Tom, Ava’s infectious disease doctor.

“We do not have any known antibodies to fight this virus. We have given her all of the anti-virals that we have available, but nothing has helped. Right now, all we can do is supportive care.”

“Are you saying that she is dying?” Wesley could not hide the concern in his voice.

“She is young, and strong, so we remain hopeful. However, I will be honest, her condition is very serious.”

“Is there nothing else you can do? Are there no experimental treatments?”

“We’ve been trying blood transfusions on the other patients that we suspect may have had this virus, however, by the time the patients received the blood, it was too late. We had hoped that in doing so, we could provide blood that might contain antibodies to the virus.”

“Have you tried that on Ava?”

“Ava has type “O” negative blood. She’s unable to accept any other type of blood except that particular one. Unfortunately, our blood banks are depleted of that type. We have ordered some from Capri but I fear it may not reach us in time to deliver it. In fact, Ava would often donate to us in times of need.”

“Ava never mentioned that to me,” Wesley replied as Justin, Rowan, and the others approached and joined him at the nurse’s station with Dr. Tom. “I’m the captain of the Andromeda, I could go to Capri for the blood, I could leave right now.”

“It’s already in transit, it will be here in approximately 10 hours.”

“What about the residents of Orionis? You have access to the database containing anyone who has type “O” negative blood. Couldn’t you contact them to donate?”

“We already have, however we don’t have the authority to force people to donate their blood. Fears of the virus have kept people away from the OMC.”

Wesley suddenly had an idea. “Will you screen us? Including myself and my crew there are seven of us, maybe one of us will be a match.”

“Don’t you already know your blood type?” Dr. Tom asked, surprised. “Everyone, no matter where they are born, has been typed at birth for the past hundred years or so.”

“I don’t pay attention to such things,” Wesley said irritably, knowing full well he had never had his blood typed.

“Okay, it’s worth a shot. Heather, can you prepare the orders and have one of the techs escort Captain Robinson and his crew to the blood bank for blood typing?”

“Absolutely, just give me two minutes.”

“Thank you, Dr. Grant.”

“You are welcome. Ava is such a good member of our team. Believe me, we will try anything and everything to save her,” Dr. Tom replied as the tech came to take Wesley and the others down one floor to the OMC blood bank. The nurse retrieved Naomi and Andre from Ava’s room and explained to them what was going on. Everyone willingly gave their consent to be tested.

The group filled the small waiting area of the blood bank, which was vacant. It took a few minutes for the blood bank tech to finish the online forms that needed to be completed prior to testing this new group. Wesley was the first one to be called back. He had never needed healthcare and watched everything that went on with a sense of curiosity. He was hopeful that he would be a match for Ava and could save her life with his own blood. The tech pricked his finger and after a minute determined that Wesley was not a match for Ava. He walked out of the small treatment room with his eyes downcast, disappointed. Naomi came next, then Andre. One by one they were tested and found to be incompatible with Ava. Rowan and Justin went in last. Rowan was not a match, however, Justin, who was last in line, found out that he was “O” negative and would be a match for Ava. Dr. Tom was notified immediately and orders were received to officially type and cross-match for two units of blood to be delivered to Ava. Wesley sighed in relief that Justin’s blood was a match for Ava, although felt sad that he could not be the one to save her.

Rowan waited with Justin while he donated his blood while the others went back up to the unit to see Ava. The crew let Wesley have some privacy first as she was still asleep. Since the nursing staff was not watching him, he took off his mask, which he found annoying, and set it on the bed, ready to don it again if anyone came in the room. Wesley’s heart ached for her as she lay there, hot and sweaty, frail, and pale. He took one of her hands in his, kissed it and held it to his cheek.

“Ava, please don’t leave me, not when we are so close to being free,” he said softly to her.

Ava stirred when she heard his voice. Wesley grabbed the mask and put it back on before she opened her eyes and looked at him as if she couldn’t believe it. “Wesley?” she said weakly.

“Hello sweetheart, I’m back, I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’m sorry I’m sick . . . you’re not sick are you?” she asked weakly, seemingly upset.

“No, no, we are all fine, you have nothing to be sorry about. I love you so much, Ava, I need you to stay with me.”

“I’m not doing so well, Wesley. I hoped I would make it long enough for me to say good-bye,” she said absently. He knew the drugs and the fever were affecting her, she seemed so out of it.

“Ava, don’t talk like that. Don’t worry, honey, we are working on a treatment for you. It will be ready soon.”

“A treatment? They’ve tried everything . . .” Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Justin is going to donate some of his blood to you. The doctors believe that because we have exposure to all of the stations that we may have developed some antibodies that can help you fight this virus off.”

“What if that doesn’t work?”

“Ava, I need you to be positive. You are not a quitter, you aren’t going anywhere, not if I can help it.”

“Wesley, I love you. I need to tell you how special you are to me and how much you have meant to me since I moved here. I could not have made it without you . . .” She wiped the tears away from her eyes with her free arm and looked away from him.

“You are going to get better, I know it. Don’t give up hope. You have to remain positive.”

“I’ll try. You shouldn’t be here. I don’t want you to get sick with this virus.”

“I’m not going to get sick. See, I’m wearing this silly mask. It’s all good,” he said, laughing softly at her.

Ava’s nurse, Heather, entered the room with the patient care tech.

“Captain Robinson, I’m going to need you to step out for a few minutes. We’re going to set up and start a new line for the blood transfusion now. I also have some medicine to keep the fever down and make you more comfortable, Ava.”

“I’ll be right outside, I’ll come back in as soon as I’m allowed,” he promised.

“Okay.”

Wesley stepped out into the hallway and met with his crew in the waiting area designated for guests. Everyone was very concerned about Ava’s health.

“Did she wake up?” Andre inquired.

“Yes. She’s so weak, and she’s burning up.”

“Let’s hope this blood transfusion plan works,” he replied.

“Wesley, we are all willing to do anything to help Ava, however I’m concerned about the transfusion,” Justin said.

“Thank you, Justin. I really appreciate what you’ve done. It’s going to help her, I know it.”

“I have high hopes as well, but let’s face it, we aren’t completely human. As far as I know; no human has ever received blood from someone like us. I’m not sure exactly sure what it might do to her,” Justin explained in a low voice.

“Believe me I’d heal her if I could, but I can only fix physical injuries, not disease states. Besides, our blood is human, that’s all that matters. She’s going to be fine, it will make her well again.” Wesley maintained his positive outlook despite his friend’s concern.

Justin said no more. Technically they were human. Despite their otherness, Ava should have no problem receiving the blood. He did believe that the transfusion could have the potential to cure her. Justin also knew that the energy carried within his blood could cause Ava to experience some unknown after effects. Wesley knew this as well. He was willing to take this chance over risking losing her. In the end, they all were. Ava had become part of their family.

Ava closed her eyes as Heather expertly started a fresh IV line to ensure a smooth transfusion. The technician recorded Ava’s pre-transfusion vital signs while Heather retrieved the first unit of blood from the blood bank tech who had brought it up to the Critical Care Unit. Wesley watched as Heather carried the unit into Ava’s room, relieved that the process had begun. She was well past exhaustion and slept through most of the next few hours. The first unit transfused slowly over two hours. Much to everyone’s relief, there were no problems and Ava’s vital signs remained at the same pre-transfusion levels. Wesley stayed by Ava’s side, ready to spring into action if anything changed, but nothing did. The only sounds in the cool darkened room came from the air exchanger and the routine beeping of Ava’s vital sign monitor.

After midnight the night shift nurse who had replaced Heather started the second unit, immediately following the first. Ava continued to sleep during the process as Wesley sat with her. Time continued to tick away and about half way through, he noticed that Ava’s breathing seemed less labored. The monitor recording her vital signs displayed that her elevated heart rate seemed to be reducing slowly to a more normal rate. He gently stroked her face with his hand, relieved that she had begun to show some early signs of improvement. He stepped out when the nurse came to cap the IV and remove the empty bag that had contained Justin’s blood, now flowing through Ava’s veins. Naomi stood up as Wesley approached the waiting area.

“Has there been any improvement?”

“I’m not sure, but I think so.”

“What happened?” Justin asked, a serious expression on his face.

“Her breathing seems less labored and her heart rate isn’t as rapid.”

“Wesley, why don’t you go with Andre, Ash, Mia, and Rowan to get something to eat, and maybe take a quick nap? I can sit with Ava. I promise I won’t leave her until you come back. I can contact you on your PCD if anything changes.”

“Thank you, Naomi, but I’m not leaving until I know Ava is going to be okay.”

“You’re sure? You look beat, Wesley,” Andre commented.

“How would you be if it was Naomi in that hospital bed?” Wesley replied softly.

“I understand. I’m sorry. Can we bring you anything?”

“No thank you.” Wesley walked back towards Ava’s room as the nurse walked out.

“How do you think she is doing?” he asked her.

“Looks like she may be stabilizing. It’s really too soon to tell but I’m watching her closely.”

The night passed quickly until once again, morning came. Ava stirred when the morning nurse, Maria, replaced the night shift nurse and came in to check on her.

“How are you feeling this morning, Ava?”

“I don’t feel as achy. Maybe a little better?”

“They told me you had a rash, but I don’t see any signs of one.”

Ava looked down and held out her arms. “It’s gone!” She looked at Wesley and then at Maria with a surprised expression and smiled weakly. She could tell that he was smiling back at her through his mask.

“The phlebotomist will be by shortly to draw the blood tests that Dr. Tom ordered.”

Wesley stepped out again as a few techs came in to assist her with freshening up. Rowan and Justin had returned back to the ship while the others remained to hear the update on Ava’s condition.

“What’s happening? Did she tolerate the blood transfusion okay?” Naomi asked. Everyone felt concerned for Ava. No one really knew what to expect at this point.

“Her rash is gone and the temp is down just slightly. I think it’s working,” Wesley replied.

“Oh thank goodness,” she breathed a sigh of relief. “That was a close call. What if we had returned even a few hours later than we did?”

“I don’t even want to think about it. What matters now is that she continues to improve. Have you seen her doctors come by yet this morning?”

“Not yet. We’ve been watching out for them, but it’s still early. We’ll buzz you on the PCD if they come by. Why don’t you go and get some breakfast with Andre and the others, I’ll stay with Ava.”

“I don’t want to leave her.”

“You need a break, now go and get some food!” Naomi ordered. Reluctantly Wesley left with some of the others for a quick pit stop in the cafeteria.

Naomi donned the appropriate precautionary gear and entered Ava’s room as the techs were finishing tidying up.

“Look who’s awake!” she said joyfully to Ava.

“Naomi!”

“I sent Wesley out for some breakfast. He hasn’t left your side all night. How are you feeling?”

“I think I’m feeling better. My joints aren’t as achy at least. They just drew another set of labs, I guess that will tell us more in an hour or so.”

Naomi felt Ava’s forehead with the back of her hand and smoothed her hair back. “You gave us a scare, Ava. Wesley was completely beside himself with fear for you. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if you didn’t recover. I’m so relieved that you seem to be getting better.”

“Me too!” Ava managed to show some mild enthusiasm in her weakened condition.

The tech entered with Ava’s breakfast on a tray and set it in front of her on the over-the-bed table. Naomi raised the head of the bed and helped Ava scoot up so that she could eat.

“I’m glad breakfast is here, I’m starving!” Ava said before she started digging in. She consumed the contents of the entire tray within ten minutes as Naomi watched. Ava’s nurse, Maria, arrived to give her the scheduled medications and to check on her.

“Looks like you’ve got your appetite back. That’s the most you’ve eaten in two days. This is a good sign that you are on the road to recovery.”

“Let’s keep our fingers crossed,” Naomi replied.

Wesley came back in as Maria went out with Ava’s empty tray. He came to stand next to Naomi, who was sitting at Ava’s bedside.

“Ava, you look so much better. You are even starting to get some of your color back already.” He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead through his mask.

“The food helped. I can’t remember the last time I was that hungry.”

Dr. Tom entered the room with Maria to check on her. He asked Wesley and Naomi to leave the room while he conducted his examination.

“Well, Ava, it looks like you’ve started to respond positively to your treatments. Your blood work already shows a great improvement over yesterday. Your white blood cell count is going down and your kidney function is also much better. You may not even need another session of hemodialysis, but we’ll leave that up to the nephrologist. Compared to the other cases of this virus that we’ve treated, you’re the first one to be heading in the direction of a recovery.”

“I’m so glad to hear that, Dr. Tom.”

“I’m ordering another round of tests to be drawn tomorrow morning. I want you to alert your nurse immediately if you start to feel worse again.”

“All right.”

“Get some rest, Ava, we want you back on your feet.”

“I will. Thank you, Doctor.”

Once Dr. Tom exited Ava’s room and removed all of the isolation garments, Wesley, Naomi, and Andre approached him for an update.

“How do you think she’s doing, Doctor?” Wesley inquired.

“She certainly looks a lot better than she did yesterday. Her labs are showing an improvement in her kidney function and there are signs that she may be recovering from the virus.”

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“It almost seems like nothing short of a miracle.”

“What do you mean?” Wesley said coolly.

“We’ve tried and failed to cure all of the patients we’ve seen afflicted with this virus up until now, although it is too soon to say that Ava is cured. It makes me wonder what exactly was in Mr. Gaines blood that did the trick because I seriously doubt she is better so quickly because of any of the treatments we have given her.”

“You don’t know if that’s true,” Wesley replied casually. “Ava’s young and strong, like you said. Perhaps it was her own body that has developed the means to conquer this virus.” He knew this was probably unlikely given the situation, but he said it anyway.

“Is Mr. Gaines around? I would like to ask him if he would be willing to let us draw a sample from him to study. Perhaps we could isolate some of the antibodies in his blood that have worked for Ava. It might even help us develop a vaccine.”

“He’s not here at the moment, but I’ll pass the request along.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“No problem.”

Another nurse approached Dr. Tom to update him on a different patient and the two walked away from Wesley, Andre, and Naomi.

“I think he suspects something,” Wesley said softly.

“Obviously. I’ll let Justin know to stay away from the hospital. We don’t need any doctors poking around and ordering blood tests on us,” Andre replied.

“Ava certainly does seem a lot better. She practically devoured her breakfast this morning. I’ve never seen her so ravenous before, even when she was starving when we first met her,” Naomi recalled.

“It makes sense,” Andre observed. “We’re always hungry. Anyone of us could eat anytime, anywhere. Now that she has Justin’s blood running through her veins, she very well could be more hungry than usual.”

“This is going to be interesting,” Naomi remarked. “We are going to need to watch her closely for the next few months. Who knows what could happen to her?”

“I agree,” Wesley replied.

Wesley left the others and once again put on the appropriate protective gear, which he didn’t really need, and entered Ava’s room. He sat in the chair next to her bed and monitored her while she slept. She seemed to rest more peacefully now than she had throughout the night. He closed his eyes and sighed. He wondered if Ava would feel different now that her blood was mixed with Justin’s, and for how long. The only thing that mattered to him was her continued recovery, they could manage anything else. He knew none of them regretted what they had done, they had saved Ava’s life.

Chapter 16

Unexplained Energy

By Sunday morning Ava appeared to be nearly back to normal. She had been up sitting in the chair several times and was now pacing around the small hospital room, pulling her IV pole around with her. There was no question that she felt ready to be up and about. She had not coughed once since the transfusion and no-longer had a fever.

“Where is Dr. Tom?” she asked. “He usually does his rounds by now. I want to be rid of this IV and transferred out of Critical Care.”

“Be patient, sweetheart. He’ll be here soon. You don’t want to rush your recovery, you almost died, remember?” Wesley replied to her gently.

After what seemed like a few hundred years to her, Dr. Tom finally arrived with Dr. Grant and Ava’s nurse to see her.

“Good morning, Ava.” Dr. Tom greeted her.

“Good morning, Dr. Tom, morning, Dr. Grant.”

“I’ll take this as my cue to get some coffee. I’ll be back.” Wesley was used to the routine by now.

The doctors examined Ava as she sat in the chair.

“Ava we can’t get over how well you are doing. It’s remarkable.”

“Dr. Tom, are the respiratory precautions still necessary? I don’t feel sick anymore. Can I be transferred to the medical unit?”

“Ava you know we can’t risk exposing compromised patients to this virus, even though you are feeling better. I will discontinue the respiratory isolation since you aren’t coughing and sneezing anymore. We will continue with droplet precautions until you are discharged. And, if your labs continue to stabilize, as they are practically normal already, we may release you to recover directly at home tomorrow. I understand that Captain Robinson is going to stay on Orionis this week to care for you.”

“Really, I could go home tomorrow?”

“I am almost certain. If you have someone with you,” Dr. Tom agreed.

“That’s wonderful! Wesley will be with me, I’ll be fine. I’m sure.”

“You should know that we have two more suspected cases of the virus on this floor. Would you be willing to let us draw an additional vial of blood from you today for research testing? Captain Robinson says that Mr. Gaines is flying out later today with the rest of his crew and that he won’t be available for us to sample his blood. However, we still would like to try and identify the antibodies in his blood that most likely cured you.”

“Of course,” she replied.

“I can’t tell you how pleased we are, Ava, that you have survived this virus. We both were very concerned for you,” Dr. Grant said.

“Thank you, I really appreciate your efforts to help me. It has meant a lot.”

“You’ll need to take this week off from work, I had the secretary re-schedule your patients,” Dr. Grant informed her.

“When do you think I can come back to work?”

“We’ll see how you are at the end of the week. If your labs show no evidence of a viral infection, then you may come back as soon as the following Monday.”

“Okay.”

The doctors walked out together and returned to the nurse’s station to write their orders for Ava’s care for the day. The nephrologist had already signed off of Ava’s case as her labs were normal. Dr. Tom recommended Ava’s IV to be capped until discharge, leaving access open in case it was needed in an emergency. He saw no reason to continue the IV medications and switched everything over to oral dosing. He did not feel comfortable discontinuing the antiviral medications just yet and made the decision to keep them in the care plan for another week. The severity of Ava’s condition and the overnight recovery baffled him. What was it that had turned things around? He eagerly awaited the opportunity for Ava’s blood to be analyzed.

Wesley quickly returned to Ava after the doctors exited the room, keen on hearing the latest with her prognosis.

“What did the doctors think this morning?” He kissed her forehead through his mask as he sat down in the chair next to the bed.

“It’s good news! They think that if everything is fine today that I might be able to go home with you tomorrow!”

“That’s wonderful, sweetheart!” He hugged her, taking a deep breath. Words could not express his relief.

The phlebotomist arrived with his tray and began to prepare to draw another sample of Ava’s blood. Wesley spoke as the phlebotomist began his work.

“I thought they already took your blood this morning.”

“They did, but Dr. Tom wanted an additional sample to analyze for the antibodies that cured me.”

“You’re not going have any blood left the way that they keep taking it,” Wesley said with concern.

“It’s okay, Wesley. Tomorrow will be the last one for a week, if everything goes well.”

The nurse came back in to disconnect Ava from the IV that she no-longer needed. As she left, the crew, minus Justin and Rowan, arrived to wish Ava and Wesley farewell for a week.

“Ava, you look great!” Naomi said happily.

“I’m feeling much better, just getting a little stir crazy in here.”

“I understand. I don’t think that hospitals seem like much fun,” she replied with a smile.

“Are you sure you don’t need us this week? We can all stay behind and take the week off if you like,” Andre offered, a smile starting on his face.

“Everything will be just fine,” Wesley answered. “Just because I’m taking a week off doesn’t mean the rest of you can,” he joked back.

“Wesley, we stocked your place with lots of food this morning so you two should be good for a while. Ava, are you sure you don’t want me to get your clothes and things from your quarters and move them to Wesley’s so that you don’t have to do it?”

“No, thank you, Naomi. It’s sweet of you to offer, but Wesley and I can do it when I’m released in the morning.”

“They are releasing you tomorrow?”

“It looks that way.”

“That’s wonderful news! I knew you would be fine,” she replied.

“Please thank Justin for me,” Ava requested. “If it weren’t for him, I don’t think I would have made it.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Naomi reassured her. “But I will tell him what you said. I know that he and Rowan are very happy that you have recovered so swiftly.”

“Thank you, Naomi.”

The group continued to chat with one another until it was once again time for them to leave. Ava did not want to be an inconvenience to Wesley, however under the circumstances, she felt relieved that he was staying behind with her this week. The recent realization that she might die and leave him behind affected her. She missed him terribly when he was gone and felt even worse when she thought she might not have been able to say good-bye and tell him she loved him. She was again struck by just how fragile life is. She would cherish this time with him.

The following morning, Ava’s doctors reviewed her labs and saw no reason to keep her admitted to the hospital unit. They released her into Wesley’s care for the week. She did not want to be wheeled out to the main lobby of the hospital in a wheelchair but had no choice, as it was hospital policy. As soon as she was dressed, her nurse gave her the electronic tablet to sign for her own release and Ava donned a mask. Wesley, also in a mask, walked beside her, carrying her small backpack with her medicine inside. She happily sprang out of the wheelchair in the main lobby and the two walked peacefully out the front entrance.

“Ava, are you sure you want to go by your place right away? Wouldn’t you like to come to my quarters and rest for a little while before we get your things?”

“Wesley, I feel great. I’d like to grab my things now. I’m itching to move around, that critical care room was so small I was almost going nuts in there laying down and sitting all of the time.”

“Very well. Slow down, let’s take it easy, okay? You don’t want to have a relapse.” He gently took her hand and slowed them down to a casual stroll.

“You are right, as always,” she said with a smile. “I just feel so good right now, I can’t explain it.”

“You mean you are less tired?”

“I’m not tired at all. I feel like I could run fifty laps at the gym.”

“Not today, sweetheart,” he laughed gently. He began to realize what effect Justin’s blood was having on her. It was the energy within that had saved her, giving her own body the strength to heal itself and to fend off the virus. He wondered how she would cope with this and for how long she would feel the effects. Dr. Tom can analyze her blood all he wants to, Wesley thought. He knew that the only antibodies he might find would be the one’s made by Ava, and nothing else.

At Ava’s quarters she buzzed around effortlessly gathering her personal items and many of the clothes she would need for the next week while staying with Wesley. He carried the large tote bag as they made their way back to his place. As soon as the door was shut behind them, they removed their masks.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you take a shower while I fix us some lunch?” Wesley offered.

“That sounds great. I haven’t had a decent shower in days!” She took a few things out of her bag and headed straight for the bathroom in Wesley’s bedroom. She didn’t normally take long showers, for conservation measures, however this time she wanted to. She felt so invigorated as she lathered up and rinsed. She stepped out onto the bathroom rug and used a towel to wipe away the steam from the mirror. She gazed at herself intently and was amazed at what she saw. Ava had expected to see a pale, worn out woman, with dark circles under her eyes looking back at her but this was not the case. Instead she beheld a beautiful young woman with luminous skin and bright eyes in the mirror. Her appearance startled her. Three days ago she had nearly died, and now she felt better than ever. How can this be? She pondered this briefly before her stomach reminded her that she was hungry. Her thoughts seemed to be fleeting, as if she was easily distracted. She dried and combed out her hair, dressed, and met Wesley in the kitchen, ready to eat.

“How do you feel?" he inquired as he set a large sandwich in front of her at the table. He studied her appearance carefully, pleased that she seemed healthy.

“Hungry,” she replied. “I don’t know why I am so hungry.”

“You’ve been through a lot. Your body fought off a terrible virus that almost killed you. Your fever burned up a lot of energy and your body is probably telling you that it’s time to replace it, that’s all,” he said reassuringly.

“I guess so.” His calm nature comforted her. Ava was almost half-way through her sandwich while Wesley had only taken a few bites. She looked around his quarters with interest, as if she were noticing things there that she had never seen before. She began to feel uneasy, sensing she had more energy than she knew what to do with.

Wesley watched this behavior intently. “What’s the matter? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. I just feel like I’m having a hard time concentrating, like my thoughts are racing. Do you think I should page Dr. Tom? Maybe it’s a side effect of the antivirals?”

“I think you’re just excited to be out of the hospital.” He placed an arm around her and rubbed her upper arm and shoulder soothingly. His touch felt so good to her, she closed her eyes for a few moments.

Ava finished her lunch before Wesley and took her medicine. “I think I’m going to lay down for a while, maybe try and sleep.”

“I’ll check on you in a little while. If you need anything, I’ll be right here.”

“Thank you, . . . I love you.”

“Love you too, sweetheart.”

Ava felt doubtful that she would be able to sleep easily, however quickly found a comfortable position and closed her eyes. To her relief, she felt herself drifting off effortlessly.

The week passed quickly for Ava and Wesley. She appreciated how well he was taking care of her and felt rather at home, living with him in his quarters. She regretted that life would return back to normal so soon. Wesley monitored her carefully. Each day she seemed to cope with her increased energy level a little better. Part of him felt guilty for what they had done to her without her knowledge. Soon . . . I will tell her soon, he thought. He felt certain she would have perished had it not been for the blood transfusion. He could not have let that happen. They had done the right thing.

On Friday morning, Ava met with Dr. Tom for her follow-up appointment. He almost could not believe his eyes when he saw Ava sitting on the exam table as the picture of health.

“You’re looking so well, Ava. How do you feel?”

“I feel fantastic. I’m not tired at all, I haven’t so much as coughed or sneezed or anything since last Saturday.”

“Yes, certainly your physical assessment shows that you are pretty much back to normal.”

“What about the labs that were drawn this morning.”

Dr. Tom tapped the screen of the electronic tablet he was carrying for a few seconds, reviewing her results.

“Everything is just fine. Ava, that reminds me, we analyzed the sample of blood you gave us on Sunday. We ran everything that we could on it and found nothing, not even antibodies.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that either it was too soon to look for antibodies, or you recovered without them, which is highly unlikely unless there was something we missed in Mr. Gaines blood.”

“What about the other two cases you had last weekend? How are they doing?”

“One of the patients is deceased, the other is still fighting but it doesn’t look good.”

“I’m sorry to hear that I couldn’t have been of any help.”

“Not yet anyway, but perhaps I could re-test you in a few weeks to try again to isolate the antibodies.”

“I guess so, if you think it’s necessary.”

“It would be appreciated. Ava, I would also appreciate it if you could ask your friend, Mr. Gaines, to contact me. I would very much like to study a sample of his blood, since that is the only factor out of all of these cases that has been different, that has led to a cure,” he lifted his hand and gestured at Ava.

“I will ask him the next time I see him.” Ava began to feel a little irritated with Dr. Tom’s persistence with wanting a sample of Justin’s blood. She knew Justin stayed away from the hospital because he didn’t want to be harassed about it. They studied her blood, mixed with Justin’s, if there were antibodies then they would have been able to identify them.

“Thank you.”

“So, I can go back to work on Monday?”

“I don’t see why not, as long as you feel up to it.”

“Great, I’m so bored just sitting around.”

“I’ll let my father know then.”

“Thank you, Dr. Tom.”

“You’re welcome, Ava, we’ll see you next week.”

Wesley stood as Ava walked out into the waiting room of the OMC infectious disease clinic. Both wore masks as the Level 3 droplet precautions were still in effect. She walked over to him and the two headed out of the clinic. Wesley noticed that the receptionists stared at Ava as they walked out.

“How did it go?”

“Very well, actually. My blood tests came back normal and I can go back to work on Monday.”

“That’s excellent.” He said pleasantly.

“Dr. Tom asked me again if I could ask Justin to give him another sample of his blood. He wants to run some more tests on it.”

“I doubt Justin will go for that. He hates being poked with needles,” Wesley explained.

“I understand, not many people like that.” Ava took Wesley’s hand as they walked away, intertwining her fingers with his. “What time is the Andromeda due back?”

“About four-thirty. Do you feel up to going out tonight for some dinner with everyone?”

“That would be fun. I’m tired of sitting around every day.”

“Ava, are you sure you want to go back to work on Monday? I can stay with you another week if you would like, just to make sure that you are okay.”

“I’m fine. I wish everyone would stop asking me that,” Ava snapped back, feeling irritated for no particular reason. “You know, nothing is certain in healthcare, not everything can be predicted. Sometimes people recover from things with no apparent reason. Why is it such a big deal?”

Wesley stopped them in their tracks, still holding her hand tightly. He looked directly into Ava’s eyes and spoke seriously to her, “because you almost died, that’s why. Do you understand that? Do you understand how important you are to me?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m being so nonchalant about it.” She paused. She immediately felt foolish for her outlook on her situation. She should be grateful for her recovery. The gravity of what he said started sinking in. “It’s just that physically I feel like I’m fine, but I have so much energy. It’s like I’m going to burst open or something. I’ve never felt like this before, I’m definitely not myself, and I don’t know why.”

“Ava . . .”

“You must think I’m crazy right?”

“I don’t think you’re crazy. Try not to focus on it. You’ve been through a lot and I know that you will feel more like yourself again soon. Just believe that you will. The worst is behind you,” he reassured. They started walking again.

“You always have the right words to say to make me feel better. I knew that there were many upon many reasons that I love you.”

“I love you so much, you mean more to me than anything.” He wanted to kiss her, but could not because they would be arrested if they were seen removing their masks in public. “These masks are such a nuisance.”

“I know what you mean.” She smiled at him behind her mask.

Later that evening Wesley led Ava down to Level 9, where they met the rest of the crew at “Asia.”

Ava recognized the neon red sign immediately. “This is where we had dinner for the first time together!” she commented, feeling excited about remembering how happy she had been at the time to make some new friends. There had been no reported cases of the virus on Level 9, so they enjoyed some freedom from their masks for a few hours.

“Thought it was about time we came back.” he replied.

Naomi walked over to Ava and gave her a big hug. “Ava, you look fabulous! What a difference a week has made!”

“I know. I am very grateful for what you all have done for me.”

“We really didn’t do that much, Ava.”

The two women continued to talk, joined by the others. Justin walked over to Wesley, standing a short distance away.

“Ava looks healthy, how is she doing?” he inquired.

“She’s doing better than I expected to be honest.”

“Has she had any. . . side effects,” Justin asked in a concerned low voice so as not to be heard by the others.

“It appears as though she has taken to the energy in your blood. She’s a bit more irritable, hardly sits still, and is easily distracted. However, on the bright side, she’s in perfect health. She’s strong right now, I can feel it. I don’t think she realizes how strong she is.”

“You’re sure that’s all?”

“I have noticed that the energy is very slowly waning. It’s only been a week, but I can feel that it is not as potent as it was right after the transfusion. Though that’s not hard to believe considering all of the blood samples they’ve taken from her.”

“That makes sense. If my energy was transferred to her from my blood, as my blood cells die and are replaced by her own, it is expected that the energy would wane.”

“How long do red blood cells live?”

“Usually between three to four months.”

“Then it would be reasonable to expect that Ava will be back to normal in a few months.”

“If what you have noticed is accurate, it should be a gradual adjustment back towards her baseline state.”

“That’s good then.”

“It’s good, but that also means that Ava has at least three months to notice that she is a little bit different now as compared to before.”

“She already has noticed. She doesn’t miss a thing.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I reasoned that it was because she is getting over her illness. What else could I say?”

“How about the truth?” Justin advised.

“I can’t tell her now. Not until some of that energy wears off. She could be a danger to herself because she doesn’t know how to deal with it if she became upset. No. It’s better to wait a few months until I have her on the ship, away from Orionis.”

“If you think it’s best.”

“I do.”

“What about her doctors? Have they noticed anything?”

“No. But, they are still asking for a sample of your blood,” Wesley informed him.

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Good.”

“Hi, Justin.” Ava walked over to the two men. The group was about to be seated.

“Hello, Ava. I know about a million people have asked you, but, how are you feeling?”

“Really good. I wanted to thank you for everything you did for me. You saved my life.”

“Oh well, I’m sure it was all you. I’m just glad that I could help.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, Ava.” Justin slid an arm around Rowan, who had come to stand next to him. “I’m starving, let’s eat.” The group filed in the doorway, returning to their normal pattern of socializing and laughing. Ava could not have felt more at home.

Chapter 17

Unsettled Business

Sunday evening came quickly. Wesley helped Ava carry all of her things back to her quarters. The task took only a short amount of time. Ava’s new level of high energy seemed to sink with the realization that Wesley would once again be gone for a week. She gazed absent mindedly at the floor as they sat on the couch with only a few precious minutes left.

“I can stay if you like.” He seemed to be reading her mind.

“I’m looking forward to going back to work. It will be good to be busy again.” She managed to smile at him.

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. I will miss you though. I kind of got used to you being around.”

“One day soon we will be together every day, I promise.”

Ava smiled at him, wondering what he had planned. “Elaine messaged me again yesterday.”

“How is she?”

“Sounds like she is doing well. She’s still dating that one guy she met at the party.”

“Good for her.”

“I’m happy for her too. We are meeting up at the gym on Tuesday night after dinner. They lifted the droplet precautions at the gym due to the low attendance rates. I’m anxious to start working out again. She signed us up for a kickboxing class.”

“Kickboxing? Ava, I really think that you should take it easy for a few more weeks. You don’t need to be pushing it.”

“I’ll take it easy, I won’t go all out yet. Trust me, this is what I need. I need to be with people. It’s lonely here without you.”

“I’m sorry, I know. I miss you too when I’m away. Just promise me that you will be careful, all right?”

“I promise.”

After Wesley left for the week’s mission, Ava could not sit still. She kept herself busy by cleaning her small quarters since she had not spent much time there over the last week and a half. She made herself something to take to work the next day for lunch from the groceries that she and Wesley had brought up earlier in the day. After she had exhausted all of the possible chores and tasks that she could, she decided to go to bed early and rest up to start work again.

The next day Ava’s coworkers surrounded her as she arrived to work, relieved that she had survived the deadly virus that has been sweeping through several levels of Orionis. She almost felt embarrassed by the attention, wishing the virus was nothing but a bad memory. She had grown impatient wearing a mask at all times, but at least she was not alone, everyone had to abide by the policy; patients and healthcare providers alike. She decided to spend more time on Level 9 if she could, just to be rid of the mask since the virus situation did not appear to be improving.

Ava felt better once clinic began. She felt satisfied keeping busy, seeing her patients. Many of them had heard of her illness and asked her about her experience, despite her best efforts to keep them focused on their own concerns for coming to the clinic. She sensed that she was working more efficiently than usual. Even her typing seemed to be faster. She appreciated that each patient brought a new problem to solve as she worked through her day. It kept her swiftly moving mind occupied. At the end of the day she had completed all of her charting and was ready to go home right after the last patient had been seen, an unusual occurrence. Most evenings she needed to stay to complete charting before she could go home. The prospect of having more free time in the evening worried her. What would she do with the extra time? She decided to hit the gym on the way home from work to burn off some of the energy.

Since the kickboxing class did not begin until the following night, Ava decided to power walk along the track in the gym. After a few laps she upgraded to a light jog, and when that did not tire her, she broke into a swift run. By the ninth lap she slowed down to a casual walk, panting deeply and wiping sweat from her face. She smiled at how good she felt, as if she had taken the best medicine in the universe. She changed out of her exercise clothing and placed the droplet precautions mask back on her face upon leaving the gym. She felt famished and decided to treat herself to a protein shake to take home on the way. Ava took note of her surroundings while she walked home. She watched the crowds of people wearing masks around her grimly marching along, as if they wanted to be away from any possible contact with an infected resident and be back in their safe quarters. She noticed that the viral epidemic and droplet precautions had a negative impact on business for the restaurants and kiosks in The Square. The “patios” were all closed and restaurants were offering take away meals only. I guess it would be difficult to eat under a mask, Ava thought.

The gym was not close to Ava’s quarters so she had a little bit of a walk in store, which did not bother her at all, she wasn’t tired. Just when she had cleared her mind and began to think of the positive things in her life, there it was again. She hadn’t sensed the ache in her left leg for a while and had forgotten about it. It had been months since the incident on E.S. Number
One. How could a sprain cause so much residual pain? She thought. By the time she arrived back at her quarters she was almost limping. She rested her leg up on a few pillows on the couch as she drank her shake, wondering if she should have her leg checked out. She decided to sleep on it.

The next day flew by in a blur. Ava continued to have a high amount of energy and couldn’t wait to start the new class with Elaine. It would be the first time she would see her friend since she came down with the virus.

“Elaine!” Ava bounced over to her friend and hugged her.

“Hi, Ava. You look wonderful!”

“Thank you.”

“I mean, you don’t look like you were sick at all.”

“I know. Weird isn’t it?”

“Well, whatever they gave you, I want it.” The two women laughed. “Seriously Ava, are you sure you are up to this?”

“Absolutely. It will be so much fun.”

“I don’t doubt that, but, perhaps you should take it easy. You know, modify things for a few weeks. I’m sure Wesley would agree.”

“Yes, he’s been telling me that.”

“He’s a wise man, and he cares about you.”

“Yes, I know. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

“Okay. Let’s get seated, the lecture portion is about to start.”

The instructional section of the class lasted nearly thirty minutes. Ava found it fascinating, Elaine, not so much. Ava found anything that kept her mind occupied interesting since she left the hospital. After the lecture ended, the instructor lined everyone up in pairs with protective padding to practice their first kicks and blocking techniques. Elaine was up first for kicking. She practiced a few times before trying to kick the large pad Ava was holding.

“Come on, Elaine, don’t hold back. Just do it,” Ava commanded as she smiled at her friend.

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she teased back.

Elaine kicked forcefully the second time, but it did not budge Ava. The pad didn’t even move.

“Very nice, Elaine. Tighten your form up a little bit and try again,” advised the instructor who was making the rounds.

Elaine tried a few more times on the right and then on the left leg and then it was time to switch. Ava handed the pad off to Elaine and took the position to try a few kicks. She didn’t feel tired or weak but decided to keep it low key since everyone had told her to take it easy. She delivered the first kick effortlessly and softly. She kicked a few more times and on the last try on the right leg, let it fly forcefully, nearly knocking Elaine down.

“Ava, take it easy girl! You almost knocked me over.”

“I’m sorry, Elaine, I didn’t realize I was kicking that hard.” Ava was being sincere, she really hadn’t sensed the kick to be that strong. She switched to the left leg and kept the kicks as soft as she could. Elaine seemed to recover from the shock of Ava’s powerful kick and started joking around again.

After a few more minutes the class was over. The women donned their masks again and headed back towards their respective quarters. As they walked, Ava noted the ache in her left leg again. Something’s wrong, she thought. Pain is never a good sign.

“Ava, did you hurt yourself? You are limping a little bit.”

“Am I? It’s nothing. I fell and twisted my leg a few months ago and it aches occasionally.”

“Maybe you need an X-ray to see if you have a fracture?”

“It was months ago. If my leg was fractured there would be no way I could have walked on it right afterwards.”

“Put some ice on it when you get home.”

“I will. Good night, see you on Thursday.”

“Night, see you then.”

Ava walked alone back towards her quarters. The ache nagged her mind. She tried so hard to remember exactly what happened to her. The memory was there all right. She tripped, twisted her leg, fell, and hit her head on the floor. She recalled this memory easily. Still, there had to be more. Something was missing, something was not right. But what? Wesley had told her what had happened, why shouldn’t she believe him? She loved and trusted him. But the ache was there. The ache did not match her memory of the injury, they were out of proportion to one another. Why am I even thinking about this, Ava thought. What does it even matter now? Her thoughts continued to burn. They shifted back to her illness. She remembered Wesley’s words. She had almost died. Then there was the transfusion. Then things were better, and now she had more energy than she knew what to do with. What’s going on? Ava shook her head to herself. She thought she was losing her mind. She decided to let it be. The last thing she needed now was paranoia. She cleared her mind in a short, hot shower and went to bed.

The Andromeda had reached Kyanos uneventfully. The captain and crew were eager to hear the report from Vance as to what Kaden might have been up to during their absence. Much to their surprise, there had been no activity, nothing.

“It’s a mystery, Captain. We haven’t detected anything on the radars since you were last here.”

“It’s not like Kaden not to retaliate from the last attack. He’s up to something. But what? And where?”

“The people are starting to become worried. If he’s not dead he’ll be coming back. It’s certain. We are maintaining tight surveillance for him around the clock. We feel that the longer it takes for him to retaliate, the worse it will be.”

“What is the status on the Principia?”

“Another few weeks and she will be ready for a test flight.”

“Good.”

Ash and Andre joined the group, just after inspecting the new ship.

“Everything is progressing as scheduled. I should be able to try her out the next time I’m here,” Ash announced.

“What progress have you made on the tracking system for Kaden’s ship?” Wesley inquired.

“I’ve narrowed it down to a few frequencies that he is using to jam his signal. I’m trying to develop something similar for us to use on our ships. It’s a slow process, however I just need a little more time. Has he been tracked here since our last visit here?”

“Not that we know of,” Vance replied.

“He’ll be back,” Andre commented.

The men continued their conversation. Wesley worried about Kaden’s next attack. He knew his adversary had a terrible temper and a sick sense of humor. Time is running out. He needed Kaden out of the picture for good, for the safety of his own kind, for Ava, for Kyanos, and for the humans he was protecting.

Back in the known galaxy, the Draconis had been stationed on Sceptrum for a few weeks. This, the oldest of the space stations, was often considered the least desirable place to live. The main purpose of this station was industry. Sceptrum received the most material being harvested from the Earth to be manufactured into useable parts to replace those wearing out on other stations, and for the development of Earth II. Material will continue to be brought here until travel to the Earth cannot be accomplished due to the tumultuous weather conditions, worsening with each passing year. Sceptrum’s hangar was double the size of the one on Orionis and twice as busy. Kaden’s crew registered the ship under an alias name, just in case Wesley was running checks on other stations, trying to discover him. Of all of the stations in orbit, Kaden preferred this one. Even the humans did not annoy him here. Everyone seemed to mind their own business and turn a blind eye towards anyone who seemed out of place. As long as you had the credits, you could buy whatever you wanted and no-one cared enough to check what you would be doing with it. This was precisely why Kaden had come here. He wanted to build something that would send Wesley and his crew a powerful message. He did not know why Orionis of all places was so important to his enemy, he didn’t care. It would become the perfect trap, and the ultimate message once he carried out his plan.

Kaden and his crewmember, Torian, rented some work space in the lower levels of Sceptrum to complete their project. Kaden preferred to work with Torian because of his welding skills and experience as an electrician. He was also extremely competent at repairing the Draconis, when needed.

“This should be it. Now all we have to do is assemble everything,” Torian explained to Kaden as he set another plastic crate filled with supplies on their workstation.

“How long?”

“A day or two.”

“Perfect.” Kaden laughed heartily as Torian began to unpack the crate. Suddenly the two men looked up as they sensed someone was approaching them.

“What the hell do you want?” Kaden growled as a brown haired, blue eyed man suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of them.

“Thought I smelled, I mean, sensed that the two of you were down here,” Bryant replied cordially, eying the two men while keeping his distance in the dimly lit room.

“You’re not very smart are you? Did he hire you to locate me? Otherwise why else would you be stupid enough to stand in my presence?” Kaden stood up to his full height, ready to attack this unexpected visitor.

“Hey, take it easy. Robinson would be the last person I would work for. I hold him responsible for my wife’s death. He deserves whatever you are working on here.” He moved swiftly around the other side of the large table opposite Kaden and picked up one of the small parts and studied it briefly before putting it down. Kaden’s patience began to wear very thin with this nosy uninvited guest.

“You have about two seconds to get out of here before you join your wife, bounty hunter.”

“No problem. I was just passing through. Carry on.” With that he vanished, leaving Kaden and Torian standing for a few minutes waiting to sense that Bryant had left before starting back up at working on their project.

Bryant chose a discreet dark corner with no one around to materialize again. He was no fool. He feared Kaden and his crew because he knew what they were capable of. He had searched everywhere tirelessly for his target and had come up with nothing. He wanted to interact with Kaden and Torian to find out if he could sense his target on them. Again, no luck. It was worth a shot, he thought to himself. Bryant could see for himself exactly what this monster and his sidekick were up to from the brief look he was able to get at the workstation. He wondered if he would be able to carry out his own plan before Kaden carried out his. Bryant walked swiftly to the lifts, ready to get back to the hangar to move on to the next station in search of who seemed to be the hardest person of his kind to find. Back on the main level he paused for a drink at one of the bars. He stopped dead just before leaving the place. That voice! He could not mistake it. One of Geodesic’s songs was being streamed into the bar. Finally, Bryant had his lead, now it was only a matter of time.

Chapter 18

Investigation

Ava’s experience after the kickboxing class with Elaine concerned her. The on and off again discomfort in her left leg plagued her mind. All in all she felt wonderful, in fact, invigorated since she recovered from the virus. The only thing that didn’t feel normal was her leg. She decided it was time to have it checked out. The next day Ava made an appointment with one of the orthopedic doctors of the OMC. Luckily, they had a cancellation and were able to fit her in right after work.

She sat in the waiting room, filling out the electronic forms easily before her appointment with Dr. Alanis, the orthopedic surgeon she sometimes referred her patients to. Ava always liked Dr. Alanis, a man with a large stocky build in his fifties. She had only met him in person a few times in passing at the clinic and often described him to her patients as a happy, jolly man. Her patients often concurred with her opinion on their return visits with her after being treated by him. After a short wait, a medical assistant called her back to one of the exam rooms to take the history.

“What can we help you with today, Ms. Amherst?”

Ava didn’t really know where to begin. Should she tell them what she knew of her injury, or let them figure it out? She decided to keep her explanation brief.

“I recently started a kickboxing class with my friend and I have noticed a dull ache in my left leg after class over the past few weeks. I was wondering if something was wrong.”

“Have you experienced any redness or swelling?”

“No.”

“How bad is the pain, on a scale of one to ten?”

“About a three. It’s not bad,” Ava said.

“When does it happen? During the class or afterwards.”

“Usually at the end of class, and my leg kind of aches while I am walking home.”

“And this has only gone on since you started the class a few weeks ago?”

“Yes.” She decided to leave her previous injury out of the explanation.

“Okay, let’s take a digital X-Ray of your leg and then the doctor will be in.”

The medical assistant led Ava down the hall where she sat on a small machine with her left leg outstretched in front of her. After she was positioned properly the assistant hit a button on the computer and a green laser-beam like light scanned her leg. The medical assistant then had Ava position her leg for a side view and scanned again. The assistant didn’t say anything about the X-Ray as she led Ava back to the exam room. She turned on the computer in the room and pulled up Ava’s chart and secured it for use for the doctor, when he came in.

Ava felt as though she had been waiting for years before Dr. Alanis arrived. It was still hard for her to sit still without fidgeting.

“Hello, Ava.”

“Hi, Dr. Alanis.”

They chatted for a minute or two before he got down to business. “So you’ve been having a little pain in the leg?”

“Just a little.”

“Let’s take a look.” Dr. Alanis asked Ava many of the same questions that the medical assistant did while he palpated her left leg and moved it through the normal range of motion, assessing for pain. “Seems like your discomfort is more when you are bearing weight on it, right?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Everything feels normal. Let’s look at your X-Ray.”

Dr. Alanis pulled up the images on the computer screen and enlarged them so that they could take a good look. Ava did not regularly read X-Rays, but could clearly see a small thin line on her tibia, the strongest bone in her lower leg.

“I don’t see anything new. This old fracture here has healed quite well.” He used a small stylus to point to the small line on the image.

Fracture? Ava didn’t know what to say. She never had any broken bones that she could recall in her life. She stared at the image with her mouth slightly open.

“Is this where you are aching?”

“I think so,” Ava replied numbly, still staring at the image.

“Sometimes when a bone is broken you can still experience some soreness months to years later. Looks like it was a nice clean break. I can tell you that whoever set this leg did a perfect job. It’s healed so well it’s probably a few years old, am I right?”

“Right.” She didn’t know what else to say.

“I don’t see any evidence of any new fractures or injuries. I would recommend that you take it easy on the leg. You may want to post-pone that kickboxing class for a while. If the soreness is troubling for you I can prescribe you an anti-inflammatory medicine that you can take for a while. It might calm it down, but I think this is something that will lessen for you with time.”

“Thank you, Dr. Alanis. I don’t think I want any medicine. I can let you know if it gets worse.”

“I think that’s a good plan. Let me know if you have any more questions or if the pain continues.”

“I will. Thank you, Dr. Alanis.”

“Good seeing you, Ava, take care.”

Ava sat on the exam table for a few minutes before putting her shoes back on. Although she felt stunned, her mind raced. A broken leg? None of this made sense, but she had seen the proof with her own eyes. Slowly she rose from the exam table and walked quietly out the door of the room, and then the clinic, barely glancing at the receptionist as she left. Ava proceeded out of the OMC and down to The Square where she sat down on one of the public benches. The droplet precautions had been lifted the day before as no more cases of the virus had been reported since the two patients after her had died.

What could this mean? Ava kept seeing the X-Ray in her mind. She knew the only injury she had ever had to her leg was from the incident on E.S. Number One. What if her “twisted leg” had been more than that, she wondered. How could that be? She closed her eyes and thought hard about that terrible night. The memory was the same. She remembered the fall, hitting her head but it didn’t seem right. Something was missing. But what? What if her leg had been broken on that disintegrating space station? How could a break like that have healed so quickly? She remembered waking up, seeing Wesley sitting at the side of her bed, looking exhausted. She remembered her leg aching, then getting up and walking directly to the small shower in her quarters, standing the whole time, rinsing the dust and debris from her body.

Ava opened her eyes and looked around The Square. She saw Fruition, the café where she met Wesley and Naomi for the first time. She remembered how she had fainted and they came to her aid. How kind they were to her. She smiled at the memory. How lonely she had been then. She realized that she felt lonely now. Lonely and lost. Then, she remembered something, something she had forgotten. She recalled the faint electric sensation she had felt when she touched Wesley and any of the other crew members. She no longer sensed it when he touched her, not since Valentine’s Day. Ava’s mind began to wander again. She knew that sensing electricity was not normal when touching other people, yet she had dismissed it over and over again. Wesley had given her an explanation, but was it realistic? Why did she believe it? Had she been too naïve to realize what was happening? She reasoned that it was because she wanted more than anything to have them for her friends, because she felt she belonged with them. Then, why would the sensation disappear suddenly? Wesley’s explanation centered on the idea that it was static from space travel. Weren’t they always traveling? Why would she abruptly quit noticing the sensation. This didn’t make any sense either.

Ava’s mind moved swiftly through her relationship with Wesley. She loved him intensely, more than anything. She trusted him more than she had ever trusted anyone, but now there were three things that needed explaining. One, she wanted to find out why she had felt static electricity when they touched, but no longer sensed it. Two, she wanted to know what really happened with her leg on E.S. Number One. She knew with a great degree of certainty that this is where the break occurred, but what she didn’t understand was how it could have healed so quickly, especially in the middle of no-where without medical intervention. And three, why did she feel so fantastic after recovering from the virus? She had energy and strength she had never known before. As Dr. Tom pointed out, the only difference in treatment of all the cases was her blood transfusion from Justin. Ava did not believe in aliens or weird forms of extraterrestrial life, but what she did hypothesize was that the things that had happened to her had no reasonable explanation. She would press Wesley for these answers when he returned, she just needed to wait and find the right opportunity. She hoped that she was not just being paranoid.

Kaden and Torian followed the loader Tuesday morning as it transferred their newly packed crate onto their chosen cargo ship, bound for Orionis the same day. Kaden could hardly harness his excitement for the execution of his plan, so much so that he brushed off the incident with Bryant. Now that he was this close to getting even with Wesley, he could take no chances for it to be ruined now. He decided to accompany his precious crate while it was “shipped” to Orionis by a different vessel than his own. The rest of his crew besides Torian remained on Sceptrum to finish repairing the Draconis after Wesley’s last assault. He knew that Wesley and the others would be on the alert for him, however he was quite certain that they would never see this coming. Darius, Cassidy, and Ranieri would stay with the Draconis until he and Torian completed their mission and flew back to Sceptrum just in time to miss the excitement.

Chapter 19

Something's Wrong

Ava felt the day drag by on Wednesday. Now that she had decided that some things were wrong either with herself or with Wesley and the others, she had difficulty concentrating at work. The possibility that Wesley had not been honest with her on several different issues bothered her the most. She could feel her anger beginning to build. She coached herself to take a few deep breaths to try and calm down the everlasting energy she now seemed to have. She loved Wesley, she sensed that he loved her truly too. He had made promises to her that he would never hurt her and now it seemed as though he had in some way. Ava had never lied to Wesley about anything, that sort of thing was not in her nature. She needed to focus on how she would approach him. Where should she begin?

“Ava.” A familiar voice pulled her away from her thoughts. She looked up from her desk and saw Dr. Tom looking down at her.

“Hello, Dr. Tom,” she said as if it were a reflex. She didn’t appreciate being separated from her strategic thoughts. She looked up at him with her attempt at an effortless friendly smile. “How are you?”

“I’m busy as always, I hope I didn’t disturb you.” He must have sensed her frustration.

“No, no. Of course not.” She began to calm down, realizing she was needlessly stressing out for no reason at the moment. Wesley wouldn’t even be back until Friday night.

“I wanted to stop by to see how you were feeling. I saw you cancelled your second follow up visit.”

“Yes, I did. Sorry about that. I’m doing okay,” she stretched the truth a little on that one. “Things have been a little crazy at work lately.”

“Yes, I know. It seems now that the virus has virtually disappeared off of the station we’ve been plagued with a variety of other strange things.” He smiled casually at her.

“You haven’t had any new cases of the virus?”

“Not for a few weeks now, thank goodness. Although, I hear that Capri has had a case that sounds very similar. A colleague of mine contacted me about it, looking for ideas on how to treat it.”

“That’s terrible. I hope it’s not the same thing.” She shivered slightly as she recalled how awful she felt when she was in its grip, before the transfusion.

“Ava, I wanted to ask you again if you could convince Mr. Gaines to allow us to test his blood to try and find a cure for this thing.”

“Dr. Tom, I know how important this is to you. It would be a breakthrough, I know. However, at this point, I think that it is out of the question. Justin only went through the testing and transfusion to help me out. I’ve already asked him and he has declined. I don’t know what else to say.”

“What about you, Ava?”

“I’m really not interested, besides, you already have tested me. What else do you want me to do?” She didn’t mean to sound annoyed, but that’s how it came out.

“I’ve noticed that you seem somewhat different since that transfusion.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your mood for one thing. It’s almost bipolar. One minute you seem delightfully happy and the next, like now, you seem like you’ve hit rock bottom.”

“I have a lot on my plate right now.” She turned slightly away from him.

“I don’t doubt that, but perhaps I can help you sort things out. . . over dinner maybe. I’ll be finished here in a little over an hour. What do you say?”

What was that? Did he actually ask her out? She remembered when he first started in the clinic that he seemed flirty with her, but all of that died down when she did not return the effort. He was a good man, and she was grateful for his care during her illness, however she had no interest, despite her current uncertainties regarding Wesley.

“No thank you, Dr. Tom. I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine, and you forget, I’m in a relationship, . . . you remember my boyfriend, Captain Robinson?”

“Your boyfriend that’s never around? Ava I am not trying to pressure you, but only offer you some friendly advice. What kind of a relationship is it if you only see each other on the weekends?” His voice was calm and gentle.

Ava could not hold the anxious energy building from within any more. She ignored his last irritating comment. “I am not interested. Do you understand?” she said slowly and firmly. Her eyes burned with contempt as she looked at him. The look on his face turned from hopefulness to disappointment.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you, Ava. You’ve certainly been through enough. I shall bother you no more.”

Ava didn’t respond, but watched him as he slowly walked away. She turned back to her computer. Two more patients and then she’d be done for the day. She focused on taking a few deep breaths and calming herself down before it was time to get started. She bolted out of the clinic when she closed the last chart.

She felt too worked up to go home right away. She couldn’t go to the gym either, as Dr. Alanis had warned her to take it easy on her leg, which was now feeling much better. She decided to take the tram to the lifts and make her way down to Infinity on Level 9. Might as well get some shopping done, she thought. Since being released from the hospital she had been eating a lot more than usual, creating the need to visit the grocery store more often.

Wednesday nights were always busy on the lifts. Wesley had explained to her that many of the cargo ships dock for delivery on this day of the week. The line for the civilian lifts seemed to go on forever. On occasions such as these civilians would sometimes squeeze in with the cargo lifts to be dropped off on the way down. The line was much shorter for this, and since Ava had no patience these days, chose that same route.

After a few minutes of waiting, Ava was able to squeeze in the cargo lift with a few other civilians and two tall men with a large metal crate on a cart with wheels. Ava couldn’t help but notice the two men, leaning casually on the crate. One of the men looked tougher than nails. Tall, muscular, with steely gray eyes and platinum blonde hair cut into the crew cut styling. Her eyes glanced at the large faded scar that ran down his right forehead and through his eyebrow. She almost sensed something strange about them. The other man appeared less menacing, however still creepy. He was tall, slim, had short dark brown hair and blue eyes. He desperately needs a shave, Ava thought, looking at the dark five o’clock shadow on his face. She noticed what looked like healed burn scars on the tops of his hands and forearms. He avoided her gaze. Both men were dressed in distressed dark gray jumpsuit-uniform type attire with the words “technician” printed on the left side of their chests. The descent down to Level 9 seemed to take forever. The blonde man stared hard at Ava when she turned her back to them. She could feel his gaze on her and began to feel very uncomfortable. Having never suffered from claustrophobia in the past, Ava began to sense what it would feel like now. She concentrated on her breathing, which had quickened and subconsciously moved as close to the side of the lift and up towards the front with the other people as she could. The other people seemed not to notice the two men, or her anxiety. Ava started to feel as though she were having a panic attack, her mind kept telling her she was in danger. But in danger from what? Only a few more levels until nine, she thought.

Kaden studied this young woman with hard, narrowed eyes. He sensed the energy emitting from her. She was no ordinary human, but was she one of them? No, she couldn’t be, the potency wasn’t there. This is very odd; if I touched her, I would know for sure, he thought. The lift began to slow for the stop on nine. Kaden slowly raised his right arm, getting ready to reach out towards this strange woman. Ava felt the hair on the back of her neck starting to stand up. The doors opened and Ava practically shoved her way out through the people in front of her, narrowly missing Kaden’s hand on her shoulder. As the other people cursed her for her rudeness, she stared at the two men staring back at her as the doors shut and the lift continued its way down. She sighed a breath of relief, feeling as though she wanted to cry, and ran to Infinity. She wanted to get her shopping done and get home as soon as possible.

Kaden looked at Torian when the doors closed. “What do you suppose she was?” he asked.

“Don’t know. She had the strangest energy for a human . . . almost like ours, but much weaker.”

“She didn’t feel like one of us. We would have sensed it for certain.”

“Well, whatever she is, she’s going to be toast in a few days.” Torian laughed heartily. Kaden joined him as the lift slowed to their destination, Level 12, the core of Orionis. The two men wheeled their crate out of the lift and down towards the main energy core, preparing to get started. They had much to do prior to their departure Friday afternoon before the Andromeda was scheduled to dock.

Ava could not put her conflicting thoughts behind her as the door silently slid shut behind her when she arrived home. She could still recall the strange sensation she felt when she was in the cargo elevator. She tried to pull her thoughts together while she put her groceries away. She did not remember sensing anything from the people in front of her, they seemed like any other group of people she had ever been around. And then there were the two “technicians” behind her. She had trouble deciding if it was their rough appearance that bothered her or if there was something else. Since her release from the hospital she had been more sensitive in general. She had noticed the pain in her leg more recently and had become, in her opinion, much more emotional since then.

Ava had been creeped out before by strangers, especially when she first arrived on Orionis. That was more of a feeling. She realized what she noticed was more of a sensation. It was similar to the sensation she used to feel when Wesley embraced her after they first started dating, only with a profound negative twist. Was it possible to feel energy emulating off of someone or something? Is there such a thing as bad energy? Ava’s only tangible contact with energy was electricity, either static electricity or when not properly drying her hands after washing and pushing the button to turn off a light. Mild electric shocks, not harmful, but strong enough to get your attention. Ava again thought of Wesley, Naomi, and the others and recalled their handshakes with what seemed like mild electric shocks. Then with Wesley, a sensation that seemed to fill her, to warm her, and slowly fade when he was gone. What did it all mean? All Ava knew was that the energy that filled the elevator seemed very negative, almost evil. Am I losing my mind? she thought. She sat down on her couch and rubbed her left hand on her forehead. What is happening? Why did she feel so lost? she thought. Ava decided to kick these thoughts out of her head, they sounded ludicrous to her. She got up and marched into the bathroom to take a hot shower, hoping that the heat would soothe her raw nerves.

Chapter 20

Choices

Somehow Ava made it to Friday. Seeing, and feeling, those two men in the lift on Wednesday night really shook her up. She knew it was crazy, but it just felt like they were bad people. Her nerves started up again. I never used to be this worked up, she thought, remembering when life seemed much more simple, before her illness. Wesley will be coming tonight, she knew. Part of her felt overjoyed, she knew she was always safe with him, and she did love him. However, part of her was still angry over the three things she wanted answers for. She still had not decided on how to approach him for the explanation of it all. She would have to take it slow tonight and go with the flow and seize an opportunity for discussion when one surfaced. I can be patient, she told herself. I just need to be calm, she affirmed.

Kaden and Torian spent the entire day Thursday unpacking their crate and creating a hook up for their master creation; their bomb. With very few interruptions from Orionis residents, they pretty much had the place to themselves on Level 12. Much to their surprise, no one questioned what they were doing. People just assumed that they were working on repairing the system. It did not matter. Kaden was prepared to remove any human threat to his plan. Humans did not matter to him. He began to wonder, perhaps once Kyanos was his, he might go around and take care of all of the space stations. He chuckled at the thought.

Friday. Tonight is the night, Ava thought. Since she did not eat much of a dinner the previous evening, she felt ravenous this morning. She pulled a container of oatmeal out of her cabinet. She hadn’t touched it in weeks. For one, she had been consuming protein shakes left and right to quell her hunger, and two, for it was extremely hard to open. The snap never seemed to give on it. Of course, Wesley had absolutely no problem opening it for her. Since she wasn’t in the mood for a cool shake, preferring a warm start to her day, she grasped the container firmly between her hands and pulled with all of her might. Pop! The container opened almost effortlessly for her and, with her strength, completely pulled apart, throwing oatmeal all over her and her small kitchen. She couldn’t believe it! She sighed as she looked at her hands, each holding one side of the container, and then at the floor, now dusted with a fine layer of flakes. She did not have time to deal with this now. She shook the oatmeal off her clothes and out of her hair, opened the fridge and took out the pitcher of protein shake mix she always kept ready. After downing a full glass, she walked out the door, making her way to work.

The moist heat near the core of Orionis had begun to irritate Kaden. He preferred the cold dry air of his ship, maneuvering around in space. Torian had completed welding the bomb onto one of the exterior support beams of the reactors. Now they had only a few hours to complete the delicate soldering of the wires together and program the detonation time. He wanted to make sure that they both were well on their way back to Sceptrum before the bomb went off. He smiled a crooked smile as he worked, imagining the horror and confusion that the humans would go through, and hopefully, the destruction of the Andromeda, with its captain and crew. Even if they survive, it won’t be long before I find them and finish them off, he thought. Torian, sensing Kaden’s satisfaction nearing the completion of their task, chuckled under his breath.

Ava’s day passed pretty quickly despite her thoughts wandering back and forth from the episode of super strength she had this morning and then to what she planned to say to Wesley tonight. Over all it was a quiet day at the clinic and before she knew it, it was time to go home.

During the day Kaden and Torian had completed their task at hand and made their way back to the hangar for their scheduled departure back to Sceptrum. They didn’t flinch as they passed through the ITO security station for clearance. Long after they had gone, the Andromeda arrived, as scheduled into the hangar. Wesley promptly exited the ship, eager to pass through security and be with Ava once again. He wondered how she was coping with the increased energy she now possessed.

Ava arrived home and showered. She put on some nice, but casual clothes, anticipating Wesley’s arrival. She cleaned up the spilled oatmeal from this morning as she didn’t want Wesley to see it. She sat down on her couch for a few moments to collect her thoughts and practically jumped when Wesley rang the doorbell.

“Ava!” he said enthusiastically as he swept her up in a passionate bear hug and kissed her. She returned both sentiments as she was, deep down, very happy to see him despite her suspicions. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?” he inquired, looking directly into her eyes, seeming to sense her emotions almost immediately.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she replied calmly. “I’m fine.”

He held the back of his hand up to her forehead gently, and then to her cheeks, feeling for signs of illness perhaps. How does he always know? she thought. “I’m not sick. Really, everything’s okay.” She decided now was not the time to launch her questioning session with him. “How was your flight and your mission this week?” She changed the subject.

“Smooth sailing, as always.” He smiled at her. “I’m happy to see you again.”

Ava stood there with him and tried to concentrate on the sensation of his presence, and the sensation of his touch on her skin. There it was, she could feel something. She wasn’t imagining things. She truly could feel some type of warm energy, flowing through him. He looked directly at her with a knowing glance, as if he understood what she was doing. He ignored it. “Are you hungry? I’m famished. I was going to suggest we meet up with the crew, but why don’t you and I do our own thing tonight?”

“I’d like that,” Ava agreed.

“Come, let’s get going.” He gently placed an arm around her shoulders after she grabbed her ID and then they were out the door.

Dinner was not as awkward as Ava imagined it would be. They fell into their usual behavior of being lovebirds. Holding hands, laughing, smiling, and catching up. Ava seemed to feel more balanced when he was near. She couldn’t explain it. There were a lot of things going on that she could not explain lately, she thought.

After they had finished eating and Wesley took care of the bill, he asked her what she would like to do next. Ava knew what she wanted. “Why don’t we take a walk near The Square? I don’t feel much like sitting still tonight.”

“All right, The Square it is.”

Wesley sensed that something was on her mind and that she wanted to talk. He prepared himself to potentially answer her questions. He didn’t really know what to expect from her tonight; she seemed kind of lost. He sympathized, the energy within her was probably affecting her ability to remain her normal focused and calm self. It’s only temporary, he reassured himself silently. They stopped at a kiosk and he bought them some flavored coffees to sip on as they walked.

Ava struggled to find the words. She didn’t really know where to begin. “Wesley?”

“Yes.”

“I have noticed that I feel a little different since I got out of the hospital.”

“How different?”

“Well, for one, I’ve been really hungry. I mean, it’s extreme. I know that if I consumed the calories that I do now before I was hospitalized I’d probably weigh 250 pounds.”

“Go on,” he replied patiently.

“And, I’ve also noticed some other things as well.”

He waited for her to continue.

“I’m really moody, even Dr. Tom noticed it.”

“Dr. Tom?”

“He stopped by my desk this week to ask me how I was doing.”

“Dr. Tom needs to move on. His little crush on you is starting to irritate me. Would you like me to speak with him?”

“No. That won’t be necessary. I told him I was not interested. I practically yelled at him. It was hard for me to control myself, I felt so angry.”

“Good, he needs to know how you feel.”

“My point is not about Dr. Tom. It’s about how I’ve been feeling really sensitive lately. To emotions, to sensations, . . . to you. It’s unusual for me.”

“Sweetheart, you went through a very emotional time in the hospital. Near death experiences are stressful. No wonder you feel off-center.”

“Stop trying to change the subject. You always try to assure me it’s nothing, but I know it’s not!” Ava raised her voice and some people passing by looked at them. It’s happening again, she thought, I’m losing control.

“Ava, please calm down. Let’s go back to your quarters and talk about this.” He gently took her hand in his and unloaded his empty coffee cup into a nearby recycling bin.

Ava took a deep breath and nodded, feeling relief that he was willing to listen to her and that he was right about needing privacy to discuss the subjects she wanted to talk about.

Deep down in the core, Kaden’s project of pay back ticked away. There were mere seconds left. It was the perfect crime. No one suspected anything, no one knew anything, and no one interfered.

Wesley and Ava were nearly out of The Square when he stopped suddenly and grabbed her, startling her, causing her to drop her coffee. No one knew what was happening as they heard the loud noise of the explosion and then felt the aftershocks. The explosion rocked the station mercilessly. The sounds of thousands of screaming people were muted by the creaking and groaning of millions of tons of twisting metal. Lights flickered and sparks flew as unknown parts of the wall and ceiling began to collapse. Orionis’ core had been breached and the station was now unstable. Red emergency lights flashed and sirens started shrieking. The sound was even more deafening than the screams and cries from the crowds, who had nowhere to go.

Wesley had Ava on the ground, his arms protectively wrapped around her. The massive jolt had knocked almost everyone down. Everywhere people were screaming, trying to get up, and running. Ava, dazed and as yet unable to comprehend what had just happened, gasped as Wesley scooped her up and ran down the nearest avenue and into a well supported store front, away from the stampeding crowds. She could not believe the strength and agility he possessed, it was almost unreal. When he stopped he set Ava down on her feet. Amidst the chaos and the debris raining down he spoke to her, practically shouting to be heard.

“Ava, are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“No. You?”

“No.” He kept an arm on her and stood protectively in front of her while he grabbed his PCD that was blinking wildly and started shouting rapidly in French into the device. Ava’s ability to speak French had improved greatly during her friendship with the crew, but, unable to keep up, she was at a loss to understand what was being said now. It seemed like an eon that Wesley conversed with the crew on the ship. Over the roar of the crowds she could hear Andre’s voice as Wesley held the PCD close to his ear to hear it. He finished his conversation and put the PCD back on his belt.

“What happened, Wesley?” Ava’s voice trembled.

“There apparently was an explosion near the core. The whole station is unstable. The system shows that parts of Level 9 through Level 12 are collapsing. We have to get out of here now!” He grabbed her arm and started guiding her towards the hangar.

“Wait!” She resisted. The gravity of the situation had finally struck her.

“Ava, come on. We don’t have a minute to waste. The ITO has initiated the evacuation procedures. We have to leave now so that the rescue ships that have been summoned can enter the hangar to save as many people as they can.”

“That’s just it, Wesley, I can’t leave with you now.”

“What?” he asked in sharp disbelief.

“I have to stay. It’s part of my job to lend assistance to help with the evacuation and care of the patients. I have to report to the OMC!”

“Ava, forget about the OMC! Do you realize what is happening? The whole station is compromised. There could be another explosion at any minute, not to mention the gravity stabilizers are failing. I can already sense the station is turning on its axis. Pretty soon we’ll all be walking on the walls; that is if the oxygen leaks don’t kill us first.”

“I have to go to the OMC. I can’t leave all of those people! They are helpless!” Ava was very familiar with the OMC’s rules regarding evacuation. They had a drill once a month at the clinic. Each staff member knew their duty. Surprisingly, despite the corrupt ITO system, patients and medical staff were among the first priority for evacuation. Ava had been through the drill many times and knew exactly where to report. She was supposed to rendezvous to the main lobby in the OMC and receive direction as to which patients to escort to the hangar from there. “I can’t abandon my job, Wesley, they need my help.”

Wesley could not believe what he was hearing. The station could implode any second and they had a sure way to safety but she was not cooperating. He knew Ava was a kind, caring person who cared deeply about her patients. Her adamant stand to help them now was touching. Perhaps he was being a bit selfish. He could not lose her now, he would stay with her no matter what. If things got worse, he could always grab her and teleport them back to the ship.

“Very well then, I’m coming with you.”

He pulled his PCD out with one hand and began speaking rapidly to the crew. Wesley placed his other arm around her shoulder and guided her back towards the OMC. It seemed as though they were fighting the crowds, going the opposite direction from the hangar towards the OMC. Luckily, The Square and the OMC both resided on Level 3. Wesley wondered how they would be able to assist with the transport of patients up to the hangar on Level 1. The ITO military officers were out in force doing an impressive job of trying to maintain order. They cleared the emergency passageways meant only for transport of patients from the various medical facilities. Wesley had never been in an actual evacuation before, only a precautionary near miss experience that went down the same way many years ago on Sceptrum. He remembered how confusing and panicked the hangar had been as people tried to force their way through security to get on one of the evacuation starships. He knew it was only a matter of time before the ITO would force the Andromeda to depart so another rescue ship could land in its place to evacuate the residents of Orionis.

The lights flickered eerily as the two of them made their way to the OMC lobby, the meeting point. Surprisingly the streets leading up to the medical center were clear, save for the first battery powered vehicles roaring past them, filled over capacity with patients on the way to the emergency lifts to the hangar. As Ava and Wesley arrived in the lobby, Ava spotted Dr. Grant, the designated OMC evacuation officer, and ran over to him for her assignment.

“Ava! Thank God, we were hoping you would make it. Believe it or not, you are one of the first providers to respond,” Dr. Grant quickly said as soon as they approached.

He nodded towards Wesley, “Captain Robinson.”

“Dr. Grant, what will be my assignment?” Ava replied breathless, having run most of the way to the OMC.

Dr. Grant held an electronic tablet in his hands, scanning the patient roster which included those patients in the lobby waiting for transport and those still in the OMC, being transported down. Other doctors and administrators, as well as ITO officers were swarming about in a flurry of activity, seeing that the evacuation ran as well as the practice drills did. “Just as we practiced in the drills, our rendezvous point with ourselves and our patients will be on Capri. The Solar Wind has just arrived to take our first patients. Believe it or not, it is already almost full. Once it has reached capacity, the next ship will be brought in and so on. The same process is happening for the residents of Orionis, only it is going much faster. The first starship for them has already come and gone, only the residents are being taken to Antares.”

Wesley listened to this information carefully, ready to think critically how he could somehow help Ava fulfill her duties and then get the two of them back to the Andromeda before it was forced to lift off.

Dr. Grant continued. “I want you to go with the next group to the ship and then on with them to Capri. They are already preparing a temporary hospital for our critically ill patients and beds for our stable patients. I’m entering the information and your clearance to board now.” One of the techs came towards Ava and handed her an electronic tablet, the same as the one Dr. Grant held. “This is your assignment and the patients that you will be responsible for on board with as well as the nursing staff assigned to work with you. You will stay with your group of patients on Capri. Unfortunately, not everyone that we have assigned to work has shown up. The panic is widespread and I fear that our staff will not report for their duty they are required to do.” The driver in the nearest vehicle waved at Dr. Grant, indicating it was time to leave. “Go now, Ava. Thank you for diligence and your compassion. Everything will be just fine, I’ll see you on Capri.”

With that, before Ava could reply, Dr. Grant turned and ran back towards a group of doctors for an update on the evacuation process. “Come on!” Wesley shouted. The lights began flickering erratically again. The two of them ran towards the open framed rescue vehicle loaded with patients. As she ran, Ava could tell that the station did seem to be rotating on its axis, there seemed to be a small tilt to everything. She wondered how long it would take for a station of Orionis’ size to rotate completely on its side. There was a seat for Ava at the back. Wesley climbed up and stood on the bumper behind her, gripping onto the frame with one hand, speaking into his PCD with the other. As soon as the two of them were in place, the driver took off, the patients gasped as the vehicle tore through the streets, dodging a returning vehicle. Ava quickly counted the patients in the vehicle recognizing some of them, twenty-two, plus Ava and Wesley. Ava did feel slightly relieved that since she was one of the first providers to report for duty that she would be one of the first residents off the deteriorating station. She wondered how the night would end. She had been assigned to go to Capri. Wesley wanted her to go with him. What should she do? Between what had happened to her before coming to Orionis, her adventures with Wesley and his crew afterwards, and now this, Ava began to wonder whether or not she would actually ever live a normal life.

The streets rushed by in a blur, falling debris and running residents were everywhere. Ava saw the emergency freight lifts that led directly to the hangar in front of them. The vehicle slowed and came to an abrupt stop in front of the doors, a security check was performed by a few ITO officers while they waited for them to open. She wondered exactly how safe it would be to go in a lift when the station seemed to be rotating and falling apart. She looked up at Wesley, standing behind her. He did not look down at her, but watched the doors intensely with his sharp dark eyes as they slowly groaned open. The vehicle slowly moved into the empty space and the doors closed behind them. Then, Ava sensed that the lift seemed to be moving up, sluggishly towards the hangar. The patients in the vehicle, who had been mostly quiet during the fast drive to the lift, seemed to have come to life in the lift. Some were talking to each other, some were crying. They all realized the gravity of the situation. An exploding space station was a night-mare come true. The hoist up to the hangar seemed to take forever. The lift shook slightly unsteadily as it rose. The few functioning lights in the ceiling of the enclosed space started to flicker, and then went out completely with only a few accessory lights on the walls providing some assurance that electricity still flowed. The patients gasped, beginning to panic sensing that they might be trapped there.

Ava, already on edge, jolted in her seat, breathing heavy, when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. “It’s just me,” Wesley whispered quickly in her ear, leaning down towards her, not letting go of his reassuring grip on her. She lifted one of her hands and placed it over his, lacing their fingers together. She didn’t think he could see the few tears that were streaming down her cheeks. The stress had finally caught up with her. “Don’t worry, we’re still moving,” he said consolingly. It’s normal for the larger lifts to go this slow, for safety reasons. We’ll be at the top in about a minute.”

That minute seemed to take an eternity by Ava’s perspective. Although the lift seemed to inch along, everyone inside felt a noticeable bounce as it came to an abrupt stop at the top. The doors gradually slid open revealing what seemed to be blinding bright light and lots of loud commotion into the peaceful quiet of the lift. The driver started the vehicle and quickly drove towards the drop off point where officers were checking clearance to the Solar Wind. Security seemed to have lapsed a little as they were waved through hastily after a brief check with the driver. Ava felt relieved that no one questioned Wesley, who still hung onto the back of the vehicle.

The chaos inside the hangar was unbelievable to Ava. Everywhere people were crying, shouting, screaming, running, and carrying various things. Smaller starships were coming and going rapidly. She glanced back towards the security check point. She observed how crowded and long the line for departure had become. Shots were being fired randomly by the ITO officers, killing anyone that stepped out of line to frighten the residents to patiently wait their turn to board the rescue ships. Obviously the ITO did not mess around, they meant business and would do anything to keep a sense of order. In the distance Ava could see the Andromeda and some officers talking to Andre and Ash outside. It looked as though they were being given orders to depart. Wesley also followed her gaze. He seemed to know what was going on.

The rescue vehicle rushed towards the Solar Wind and came to a quick stop. Patient care technicians who had reported to work immediately started assisting the patients off of the vehicle and onto the ship. Ava jumped out of the back, Wesley helping her down.

“I need to get an update from Andre. Stay here, I’ll be right back,” Wesley ordered as he took off running towards the Andromeda.

Ava began helping patients off of the vehicle after he took off. It took him mere seconds to reach his friends. Andre stood waiting for him.

“Wesley, we have to lift off now! Orionis is more unstable than it was ten minutes ago. I have a feeling that there will be another explosion soon. In addition to that, the ITO is threatening to bull doze us out of the hangar if we do not lift off within the next ten minutes! We’re powered up and ready. Is Ava coming or not?”

“Ava is here, she had to report to the OMC. Give me a minute and I’ll be right back with her.”

“Wesley, isn’t she supposed to go with those patients?” Andre had to shout to be heard over all of the commotion.

“She’s supposed to, but she’s not going to,” Wesley bellowed back at him.

“You can’t force her to come with us, she would resent you for that! She has to do what she believes is right. Believe me, do not give her a reason not to trust you!”

“What does it matter, we are saving her life. I cannot lose her now!”

“She already is saved. She’ll just be on Capri, we can meet up with her later. What’s going to happen to her? She’s really strong right now because of the transfusion, she’ll be all right. Wesley, we have to get out of here! Kaden is still out there, we have Kyanos to think of. Let’s go!”

“I’ll be right back!” Wesley called back to him as he ran back to Ava, who had just finished helping the last patient onto the ship. Somehow she had acquired an ID badge around her neck, making her presence there official.

“Ava, we have to go now, the ITO is forcing us to take off,” Wesley spoke rapidly to her, almost out of breath.

“Wesley, I can’t go with you now, I have to take care of these people, they need me.”

The chaos in the hangar seemed to slow into a blur around her as she spoke with him, like they were the only two people there.

“I can’t believe this, Ava!”

“I’m going to be fine. They will take good care of me on Capri, I will message you as soon as I can when I get settled there.”

Wesley gently put his hands on her shoulders and pleaded with her. “Ava, please come with me now. The only way that I know you will be safe is with me. I need you.”

“I’m sorry, Wesley.” Ava felt determined to put a little distance between herself and him until she figured out exactly what was going on and what seemed so unusual about her friends.

“Ms. Amherst, we need you to board now, we are lifting off in five,” a tech called to her.

“Ava, please, I love you,” Wesley pleaded.

“I love you too, Wesley, but something is wrong and I need to figure out what it is.”

“No, no, nothing is wrong. What are you talking about?” he asked gently. He couldn’t believe her stubbornness.

“It’s what I have been trying to talk to you about! . . . Did you know that my leg was broken on E.S. Number One?” she blurted out, practically screaming at him. He could tell she was upset. There was a long deafening pause as he realized that she had figured it out. “Did you!?” she repeated.

Wesley shut his eyes hard and took a deep breath, he still had his hands on her shoulders. He could not lie to her anymore. He should have dealt with this long ago, however he could not explain himself now, with no time remaining.

“Yes, . . . I knew it was broken,” he said softly, looking into her eyes. He witnessed the surprised look in her eyes as her mouth dropped slightly open when he finally admitted it. “Ava, I promise I will tell you everything, but not here, not like this.”

“When then?”

“Come with me . . . please?”

“I can’t. I have to go now. I will message you when I get to Capri.” She quickly embraced him, kissed him on the cheek, taking him by surprise and then let go. She turned around pulling herself away from him and ran up the ramp into the ship. Wesley stood stunned as he watched her board the ship, the crew closing the door after her.

The beeping of his PCD signaled him out of the shock that Ava had left him. He did not reach for the device, but instead ran towards the Andromeda and up the entrance ramp, which closed as soon as he was inside. Ash did not wait for Wesley to be seated before taking off. Within seconds they were exiting the hangar. Wesley joined Ash in the flight deck.

“Ava’s not coming?” Ash asked, puzzled.

“She’s on the Solar Wind. She chose to stay with her patients.”

“Why?”

“She felt it was the right thing to do. I think that she also suspects we’re not entirely human, she knows she had a broken leg on the abandoned space station.”

“Really? How’d she figure that out?”

“I don’t know, maybe she had an X-Ray or something.” He could not hide the concern in his voice. “Once the ship is a safe distance away from Orionis, stabilize it and, hover for a few minutes. I want to make sure that her ship takes off without any problems.

The captain and crew of the Andromeda took in the terrifying sight of the once powerful space station, Orionis, slowly rotating. Its protective gravity stabilizing rings had slipped and were pulling the station down to one side. Flames and smoke were visible billowing out at various places on the station. The lack of electricity on one half of the station made it hard to see, as if it were disappearing in the dark emptiness of space. Starships hurriedly entered and exited the hangar, collecting residents.

“I’m glad Ava can’t see this,” Wesley muttered to Ash. “She would be horrified.”

“They’ve got some time yet.”

“For what it’s worth, the ITO actually did a good job organizing the evacuation. They have saved many lives,” Andre commented, joining the two men in the flight deck.

“Where is Ava’s ship?” Wesley asked impatiently, his voice filled with concern.

“Be patient, I’m tapped into their system, they have just lifted off. Ava’s going to be all right, Wesley. Don’t worry,” Ash reassured.

“How can I not? She is only human.”

“Humans are stronger than we give them credit for sometimes I think,” Andre mused.

The three of them waited patiently as they finally saw the enormous Solar Wind exit the station. Wesley breathed an audible sigh of relief, sensing that Ava was indeed, safe.

“So we are off to Capri?” Ash already knew the answer to this question.

Wesley nodded, his eyes glued to the monitor, showing the uneventful departure of the ship carrying the most precious thing in his world; Ava.

Aboard the Solar Wind, Ava, having permission to move about the flight deck to check on her patients, decided it would be best to keep herself busy. She did not want to think about Dr. Tom, who was also on the ship and seemed happy to see her. She did not want to think about all of her worldly possessions that she had left behind in her small quarters, including her only picture of Nathan, her late husband. She reached up and subconsciously touched her ears, reassured that her earrings were still there, and then her hand went to the locket around her neck, reminding her that she still loved Wesley. She could not believe that she had the strength to leave him, but that seemed the only way to eventually obtain the truth out of him, someday. Once satisfied that everyone was stable and settled, she returned to her seat and shut her eyes, wondering what was to become of her.

Chapter 21

The Target

Bryant navigated the dark, deep levels of Polaris in search of his target. The second oldest station in existence, it had long ago reached its populous limit and only accepted new residents after the current ones became deceased or moved on. In comparison to Orionis, which followed Polaris, it was a much smaller station and had less of a military ambience than Orionis did. It did not have as much physical industry as Sceptrum, but consisted mostly of a residential and office based employment center of development for software with the necessary medical offices and hospitals built in for the general needs of the station. Because of its large residential districts, the station did have a nice sized theater for plays and musical performances to be held at. With a population of this size, residents necessitated entertainment in order to stay out of trouble. It was here that Bryant hoped to find whom he had been searching for.

The sketchy internet information hinted to a performance by Geodesic at this theater tonight. Bryant had booked a room in one of the hotels equipped with on online system and tapped into Polaris’ online database, particularly the ITOs security system. He saw confirmed information that the band would hold a concert tonight. He then hacked into the hangar queue system and saw that several ships had recently arrived. Frustration burned through him as the system did not list what ship Geodesic traveled on. He had searched so long and so hard for this person he could not face disappointment again.

Bryant left the hotel and went directly to the theater, now starting to fill up with ticketed customers. He found a deserted corner with no security cameras or watchful eyes and vanished into thin air. He moved quickly through the entrance unnoticed and down into the backstage area where the band and the local stage hands were setting up. He remained invisible for as long as he could, which usually was about seven minutes or so, located another vacant corner and re-appeared. He moved about the back stage area inconspicuously until he sensed he was getting close. Moving faster, he came to a door marked VIP lounge in big block letters and entered.

As he walked inside he immediately spotted several Asterions he did not know, conversing with each other, along with his target, sitting at a table with an electronic tablet in his hands. His long legs were propped up on the table and he leaned back in the chair, relaxed. He apparently was focused on watching the news, which currently reported the horrendous explosion and evacuation of Orionis. As he drew near, the Asterions, sensing that Bryant was one of them stopped what they were doing and watched as he approached the table, wondering what was going on. Xavier broke his attention away from the news and peered up at Bryant with his large, oval, brilliant blue eyes and an un-amused, but also un-alarmed expression on his face. He knew he had nothing to fear; there was in fact, very little Xavier would ever have to fear from anything.

“You are a hard person to find, you know,” Bryant said pleasantly to Xavier while offering his hand towards him for a friendly handshake. Bryant did not harbor any of the resentment towards Xavier that he still held towards Wesley. He began to apply his most charming personality now that he reached his target. Now, if he could only convince Xavier to do what it was that he wanted him to do. Xavier studied him for a moment and gingerly returned the shake.

“What brings you out this way, Bryant?” Xavier asked, carefully eyeing his old acquaintance, and then glancing back to the news, clearly unimpressed by the visit. The two of them had never been friends, but also had never been enemies.

“You do actually.”

“I can’t imagine why. I haven’t seen you in decades,” he said frankly. Xavier didn’t play games with people. He had a very direct personality. Just like Wesley, Bryant thought.

“I’ve come to you because I’ve run across someone that I think you would be most interested to meet,” Bryant replied, sensing he must get right to the point as though his time was limited. Xavier slowly looked back up at Bryant as a sign for him to continue. Bryant smiled his widest, most friendly grin, knowing that his plan was going to work.

Chapter 22

Acknowledgments

Thank you for reading my first novel, The Solar Wind! I hope that you enjoyed exploring Ava and Wesley's world in how I would envision a post-apocalyptic future. There is much more in store for Ava in the next installment, The Solar Flare. Don't miss it!

I would love to give thanks to my family for their continued support and encouragement of my writing. I am blessed to have all of you in my life.

I would also like to thank you, my reader, for taking the time to read my work. I hope that it has transported and entertained you!

Now that you have completed The Solar Wind, please consider leaving me a review on Amazon. It is through your comments and feedback that I continue to evolve as an author. I hope that you enjoyed reading my story as much as I did writing it.

If you would like to read more of my work, here are some of my other books:

The Solar Wind

The Solar Flare

The Solar Storm

The Twilight Star

The Commoner Queen

The Magi King

 Until the next adventure . . . wishing you all the best,

 Laura

Chapter 23

About The Author

Laura E. Collins is the author of The Solar Wind series and The Twilight Star. She writes paranormal/fantasy romance with unexpected twists. She loves planting flowers in the spring, listening to electronic dance music, and trying new recipes. Laura lives in Illinois with her husband and family.

Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

Chapter 24

Excerpt from The Solar Flare

During the middle of the night, Ava completed her rounds in the enormous darkened room, checking on her patients in the makeshift hospital unit on Capri. A few other nurses and some technicians wandered about, assisting people as needed. The vast room, originally a warehouse of sorts, had been sectioned off by partitions into different “units” although no one could say there was any privacy. It has been only eight hours since the Solar Wind made its uneventful landing and she wanted to make sure her patients were resting comfortably. For the most part, Ava had to give some credit to the Intergalactic Transport Organization, otherwise known as the ITO, for a smooth and seamless transition during the crisis and horrendous evacuation of Orionis. She wondered if the station had been completely evacuated by now and if it would somehow be salvageable after the explosion. One thing she knew for sure, the ITO had immediately cracked down stiff security measures throughout the known galaxy and the existing space stations, including the incomplete Earth II. The corrupt organization now allowed only what it considered to be legitimate business travel.

    After landing on Capri, Ava discovered that the chaos she thought she left behind on Orionis had become one of a different sort. She had never seen such a crowded and tumultuous hangar before. Once Capri had met its limit for evacuees, the ITO closed the hangar to further traffic and since the Andromeda had no official business scheduled, it was not permitted to dock. Ava messaged Wesley, assuring him of her safety, knowing that he must be concerned about her.  She could not stop thinking about his comment to her, admitting that he knew she had sustained a broken leg on E.S. Number One. What seemed even more amazing is that somehow he, or the crew, was able to heal her without her even knowing it. They are more than simple humans, she thought. But what exactly are they? What did they actually do to her to heal her? What did Justin’s blood do to her after the transfusion? She could feel the effects of it even now. What would this ultimately mean for her relationship with Wesley? The thoughts intrigued her, and also frightened her. In all of the history of the Earth and space exploration no one has ever discovered or produced any genuine and tangible proof that extra terrestrials existed, and now she had it, or at least experienced it somehow. She knew she could never speak of this to any other human; or risk ridicule, or worse, becoming some researchers test subject. Whatever Wesley is, Ava realized, she must keep it a secret, and she must find out the truth.

    The next evening, Ava finished rounding on her patients for the last time before calling it a night. All of the specialties had been re-grouped together in one long hallway, two patients to each room, or makeshift cubicle as it seemed. The providers, having left everything behind on Orionis had been assigned small private quarters one hallway over. Each small temporary room consisted only of a cot and a chair. At least there was a door that closed, allowing them some privacy. Bathrooms were shared between all of the providers and a common eating area had been established. Everyone looked and dressed the same, in the standard healthcare provider uniforms of gray scrubs underneath white lab coats, provided by Capri.

    Ava stopped in the common room to pour herself a glass of water. As she entered she mentally sighed as she noticed Dr. Tom sitting at one of the few tables in the room working on an electronic tablet he had in front of him. She decided to pretend she hadn’t seen him. He looked up at her as she quickly continued with her task.

    “Ava, do you have a minute?” he asked in a friendly tone.

    “Hi Dr. Tom. Actually, I was just about to . . .” Her reply came out courteous but was interrupted.

    “I just wanted to know if you had a few moments to talk. It seems that Capri has some new information regarding the virus you had.” His blue eyes lingered on her still turned away stance.

   This caught Ava’s attention. “All right, I have just a few minutes.” She wanted to make sure he knew that she wanted to be elsewhere. She casually walked over towards him and sat down at the table opposite him.

      “Great. First of all, how are you? We’ve all been through a lot. Are you okay? Do you need anything?” He seemed genuinely concerned, though it did not touch Ava. She had too much on her mind already.

    “No . . . thank you. I’m doing as well as we can expect Tom. Mine as well as my patient’s lives have been completely turned upside down in the last two days. Actually, I think everyone is doing fantastic, all things considered. How is Dr. Grant? I heard the Orionis Medical Center ended up sending him to Antares instead of here with us because they needed more help there.”

    “Yes. He messaged me. He’s all right. He was actually one of the last providers to be evacuated.” Ava detected a note of admiration in his voice. “I have to admit I was surprised to see you reported for your duty. I know my father was very pleased to see you. You could have easily just flown away with your friends.” 

    “Of course I would have fulfilled my obligation.” His comment began to irritate her. Here comes the anger again, she thought. She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. “I will be reunited with them as soon as Capri allows them to dock.”

    “I see.”

    “I’m sorry, did you say you had some information about the virus I had?”

    “Yes. I met with some of the infectious disease providers today. Over the last four months they had a total of sixteen cases, thirteen of which were fatal. They were about to issue a station wide quarantine when the research team discovered antibodies in one of their patients.”

    “They found antibodies?”

    “Not only that, within a month they were able to isolate them and develop an anti-virus.”

    “So they have a treatment that quickly?” Ava conveyed her surprise. Good, she thought. Maybe he would leave her alone now.

    “Yes.”

    “Well that’s wonderful news then.” Ava could hardly believe it.

    “It certainly is. However, there is one other interesting part of this.” He sounded so nonchalant about the information he was giving her.

    “What?”

    “In their efforts to discover the antibodies, I sent them a sample of your blood when you were sick.”

    “You sent them a sample of my blood?” This caught Ava by surprise. The stress of things had begun to pile up and she felt her energy and her anger rising again. What could they have discovered? Even she did not know the nature of her recovery, but now guessed it had something to do with Justin’s otherness. “Did they find the antibodies in my blood?”

    “No, Ava, they didn’t. That is what I find so fascinating. You seemed to recover so quickly after receiving a blood transfusion from your friend, and there were no antibodies to the virus found in you afterwards.”

    “So?” She tried her best to sound as if she were brushing it off.

    “So what I’m saying is that I think there are more to your friends than you know, or at least more than you let on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy that you are alive and well. However from my research, and what I know of the virus and what your condition was like, I cannot see how you survived.”

    “Dr. Tom, are you suggesting that there is something wrong with my friends? Really, I think that you should get some rest, it has been a stressful time for all of us.” Ava rose up out her chair and walked as calmly as she could to the door. She no-longer wanted to be in any part of this conversation.

    “Ava, some of Capri’s Infectious Disease Team would like meet with you. They’ve been meeting with the few survivors to review their experience. It’s important because you are a provider. Capri wants to make sure you are completely recovered so that you do not pose a danger to the residents here. Will you be available sometime tomorrow?”

    “We’ll see.” Ava didn’t know what else to say and walked out. She didn’t want to commit to anything. Quickly, she made her way back to her cubicle of a room and shut the door behind her. She sat on the cot, leaned her face into her hands and took a few more deep breaths to soothe her nerves. If she didn’t meet with the Capri team, would that put her job in jeopardy? With no possessions; her clothes, her Personal Communication Device, and her job were all she had left, save her access to the credits she had saved. Even her savings would runout within a matter of a week if she had to rely on that, considering the steep cost of lodging on Capri right now, that is, if you could find any. Ava glanced down at the bed to the PCD Wesley had given her. It was the only thing she had left that might potentially be worth something, but she couldn’t sell it, she needed it. The small white light blinking meant she had a message to read. The message was brief, but it was enough to take her mind off of Dr. Tom:

Ava, we will be allowed to dock tomorrow for a period of two hours. Please meet me at the entrance of the hangar at 1300 hours, we have much to discuss. I love you. Always –W.

    Ava set the PCD back down on the bed and removed her lab coat. She grabbed her donated toiletries and went down to the common bathroom, combed her long auburn hair, and washed her face. The cool water felt refreshing to her. Then she brushed her teeth, and returned, ready for bed. I wonder what we will discuss, she thought. She loved Wesley, and now she felt terrified of him for uncertain reasons. She closed her eyes, but even that could not stop the silent tears from sliding down her cheeks. All I wanted was to start a normal new life when I left Earth, she thought, it has been anything but.

     The next morning Ava checked on her patients, making sure everyone was stable and had what they needed. She had to admit that her nursing staff had been incredible through this whole ordeal, and made it a point to thank them for their compassionate care towards her patients since their arrival. Ava completed her charting and left for her hour long lunch break at 12:45. She planned to take a late lunch so that she could meet Wesley at the hangar when Dr. Tom arrived unexpectedly.

    “Hello, Ava, I figured you would be on lunch now. Do you have a few minutes to spare to meet with the Infectious Disease Team?” He seemed friendly, at least.

    “Actually now is not a good time for me, I’m sorry.” She glanced around nervously but did not see anyone else in the hallway.

    “It will just take a few minutes. We should be done by 1300. It would be better to just get this over with.”

    Against her better judgment, she agreed with the meeting. Dr. Tom must think I went on lunch at 1200, she thought. “Okay, fine, let’s put an end to their concerns regarding my health.”

    As they walked down the long deserted hallway to the meeting room, which seemed to be miles away, Dr. Tom continued to talk.

    “Ava, I believe that I can help you,” he said softly, looking at her.

    “I beg your pardon?” She looked at him in confusion.

    “Your friends are not what they appear to be.”

    “I’m not sure what you are talking about, Doctor.” The hair on the back of Ava’s neck began to feel as though it were starting to stand up. Here comes the energy again, she sighed.

    “I know you have not been yourself, but I want you to know that I am on your side and we can get you through this.”

    Ava stopped dead in the hallway, her eyes fixed on him. “Dr. Tom, what are you talking about? Are you feeling all right?” He’s gone crazy, she thought. Or, has he guessed the truth? Better to pretend not to know anything.

    “Ava, I’ve reason to believe that your friends are not who they say they are.”

    “Oh really?” Ava replied, playing dumb and conveying an amused attitude.

    “After what happened to you in the hospital, I went back and reviewed some of the security surveillance footage of your comings and goings at your quarters on Orionis a while ago.”

    “You what?” She couldn’t understand what she was hearing.

    “I know this sounds odd, but I wanted to watch your friend’s behavior and I found out something interesting. Please, just hear me out.”

    “Dr. Tom, according to the laws on Orionis and the ITO, stalking is a criminal offense. . .”

    “I care about you Ava, but I’m not stalking you; I wanted to learn more about your friends. Anyway, there was one Friday night that you left your quarters by yourself. Then, a few hours later, the footage showed several of your friends, some crew members, coming in to your quarters. Only, you had never returned. Then, a little while later, they left. What’s even more interesting is that the next morning, your boyfriend left your quarters.”

    “Dr. Tom, my boyfriend does sometimes leave my quarters in the morning. What’s your point?”

    “My point is, Ava, according to the footage, you never returned home, and there is no footage of your boyfriend coming into your quarters either, yet suddenly he comes out the next morning? Then, later that weekend, you emerged. Now as far as I know, on Orionis, there is only one way in and out of your quarters and that is through the front door. So how do you explain it?”

    Ava’s mind raced. What was he talking about? Then it hit her. The incident at The Labyrinth, where she had almost been victimized. She never really remembered how she got home that night, only that Wesley said he brought her there. Her look of surprise fueled his anticipation. He knows something’s wrong, she thought. Before she could speak, he continued.

    “Ava, I don’t think that you should see any of them again. They did something to you, I know it.” His voice began to rise as he became excited, like he had just discovered something phenomenal. He abruptly took a firm hold on her arm.

    “What are you doing? Let me go!” Ava was certain the pressure in his grip was causing a deep bruise.

    “Don’t worry, we’ll get you to the Infectious Disease Team and run some more tests on you to make sure that you are okay. You haven’t been yourself since the transfusion, we can help you.” He started to pull her towards the end of the hall forcefully.

    “Let go of me!” Ava shouted. She began to resist him and tried to pry his hands off of her arm. I’m going to lose control, she realized too late.

    “I’m not trying to hurt you; I’m trying to help you!”

    “Stop it, I’m not going anywhere with you!” Ava practically growled at him as she sensed the energy rising within her. In her panic she could not find the right frame of mind to suppress it, or remember her self defense instructions. Suddenly, Ava grabbed Dr. Tom’s hand on her arm and pulled it off of her as if it were a child’s hand. Then she reigned in the energy and turned. She shoved Dr. Tom as hard as she could. Her strength surprised them both as he flew back and crashed against the wall in the hallway with what seemed like very little effort to Ava. He had let out a loud grunt when he hit the wall; otherwise it had been a rather discreet incident. She looked down at him, stunned for the moment, and not knowing what else to do, started running in the opposite direction down the hallway.

     Ava did not look back as she sprinted down the halls, past what was left of her co-workers and the patients she had attended. She did not stop, not even when people called out to her. She burst through the door that led to one of the main avenues and kept running towards the hangar. Though her encounter with Dr. Tom had not seriously hurt her, it had upset her, and Ava felt more afraid than anything else. She had nowhere else to go, no one she could trust. She heard a siren howl in the distance behind her as she took a nearby stairwell up three long flights to the level of the hangar. She felt the PCD clipped on her waistband buzz. Wesley is looking for me, she realized. When she neared the hangar, she slowed her gait to a fast walk to avoid collecting any unnecessary attention. Her face showed how flushed she had become from running, she breathed heavily, and her cheeks stung with the salty tears she had shed as she ran.

    There he stood. Always so calm and steady. He moved quickly towards her when he saw her. She started sprinting again and ran straight into his reaching arms.

    “Ava, what happened, are you all right?” He kept one arm around her and touched her face gently, trying to soothe her anxiety. He could see that she was visibly upset. There did not seem to be time for a more gratifying reunion.

    “We have to leave now!” Ava gasped, looking back, breathing hard. She decided she would rather take her chances with Wesley than Dr. Tom and the Infectious Disease Team.

    As if seeming to know what had taken place, Wesley quickly ushered her back through security, speaking rapidly to the crew on his PCD. He did not ask her for her reasons, it did not matter now. Wesley courteously informed the ITO officers that they would be departing immediately. They seemed pleased to have an early clearing in the busy hangar schedule and happily obliged their swift exodus. The officers did not even glance at Ava’s uniform or her flushed face as they walked through. No one asked any questions. This is strange, she thought. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Justin standing nearby, joining them once they were through. Wesley never let go of her as the three of them hurried towards the Andromeda. As they approached, the ramp descended and Ava did not look back as she calmly walked up towards the entrance. She could see Naomi and Andre inside waiting for them. This is it, she thought, there was no turning back now.

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