Rowen Cairn Part 03

She jumped at the sound of Ophelia's voice, and turned to look at the little projection, nodding. "Thank you, Ophelia." Turning to look back at Idris, she sighed a little bit, then shrugged helplessly. "I tried to get you up easier. Sorry." And with that, she reached out, placed her hands against Idris' chest, and shoved hard, sending him right off the bed. She sat up as soon as she heard him THUD to the ground.
He groaned, much louder this time, and looked over towards the bed his eyes opening as he groaned again in pain. The floor of his bedroom was not a forgiving surface. He slowly got to his hands and knees and then stood, wincing as he looked down at her. He had a look of annoyance on his face as he grumbled at her, rubbing his head.
Rowen held up her hands as if in surrender, giving him a "oops" look. Scooting back a little on the bed, she studied him for a second noted there was no blood and finally piped up. "For the record - Ophelia told me to do it. I was trying to go the gentle shakes, and kisses route, but you just weren't getting it. So..." She smacked her lips together as she stood up in front of him, not at all deterred by his annoyed expression. "Breakfast?"
Idris reached up and pulled her off the bed. He cushioned her fall with the strength of his arms. He looked at her, still a little dazed, his finger running over her face, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. He smiled at her as he gazed at her for a very long moment and then kissed her.
She laughed a little, yelping as she lost her place on the bed and felt his form beneath her. But when he kissed her, it made her stop, and she pushed her face back against his own. She felt his arms moved around her and felt her hand move to his face. When the kissing stopped, they both lingered and looked at each other. "You know...I'm not leaving soon." She teased gently, picking her head back up to look at him. "...We'll do this plenty more."
He looked at her, biting his lip. "Does...that mean you'll stay then? Have I changed your mind?" He trembled a little, his head rested on the metal surface of his floor. His eyes looked at her, full of hope and optimism as he watched for her response and reactions. "Hm?"
"Changed...my mind? I..." Then realization hit her and she couldn't help but begin to laugh. "I thought you didn't want me to stay...that...you brought up my preferences on planets as a hint to...leave. I never thought you wanted me to stick around, Idris."
Slowly, his teeth released their ferocious hold on his lower lip, and his mouth opened into a horrified gape. He started to visibly tremble, and he went to speak, but he got something caught in his throat. When his eyes begin to water, he took in a quick, sharp breath, and blew it out even faster. He turns away from her, still pretending as though she didn't just get a front row seat of the catastrophic destruction of what little composure he'd managed to maintain around her. He shook his head slowly, looking at the floor. His voice is barely audible when he speaks. "I...no...I didn't..." He falls silent, his eyes shut for a long moment.
He feels the overwhelming force of the emotions, the memories and flash backs of the last time she was on his ship. He had never told Ophelia what really happened...why he had picked up and left at the end of their stay. He felt the memory boiling up to the surface to haunt him. He didn't turn to face her when he finally spoke again, his voice cracking. "I'd...rather...you stayed..."
"Idris?" Frowning immediately, her laughter and smile completely demolished at the sound of his pain in his voice. "Idris...I..." But she couldn't speak; she needed to see his face. As he turned around, her heart nearly broke when she saw the emotions in his eyes. And then he asked her to stay. Her heart swelled at those words, and it was her turn to begin to lose composure. No one had ever asked her to stay anywhere. It was always go, move, change places, change jobs, uproot her life...People didn't want her. And he did. "I want to stay Idris. I want to stay with you. I don't ever want to run away from you ever again. I..." She wrapped her arms tightly around him in an embrace.
He shuddered and pulled her closer. He took another long, sharp breath. She could feel the trembling calming down as he hugs her, and only a few more tears roll off his face before he pulls away from her a little. "I don't want you to go. I want you to stay here...I promise, I'll keep you safe. Just please...don't leave me...not again."
"No, I'm not going anywhere. Not for anything. Idris...Ophelia told me about...about after I left. You looked for me. I didn't think you would. I was only on your ship for a couple of weeks, I didn't think..." Taking a deep breath, she reached up to take his face tenderly in her hands. "I didn't understand that you cared, or that anyone could care about me. I'm so sorry I left like I did. I'm so sorry."
He shut his eyes when she brought it up, slowly shaking his head as he starts to tremble again. "No...no...you're safe...it's ok. I won't let..." He turns away from her again and shuts his eyes tight. His back and body trembling as he shakes his head. His head faces the floor as the tears roll down his face, muted sobs barely audible as his composure finally breaks down completely.
"Idris..." She took his face in her hands, trying to get him to look at her, not caring if he was crying. Her arms wrapped around him and she held him there firmly, placing soft kisses on his cheeks. "Idris...I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere. Alright? Please...don't cry. Oh..." She held him tighter, not wanting to let him go until she was sure he was alright.
As he felt her wrap her arms around him, he slowly calmed down. He sighed, the trembling subsiding. He sniffled. He looked at her, and felt compelled to tell her, to explain, but he held his tongue. He closed his eyes again and nodded slowly. "I'm...sorry. I...I don't know...what came over me." He tried to smile, but it wasn't very convincing. He shut his eyes again and sighed, feeling as though he could breathe normally and that he had stopped trembling.
"It's okay Idris. I'm here, I'm going to take care of you, too. Alright?" Smiling warmly at him, she reached up to wipe his cheeks dry.
He smiles at her but shakes his head. "That won't be necessary, I promise."
"Now, now, Idris, since I'm sticking around we're going to have to share. That means you get to take care of me and I get to take care of you! How about a hot meal? Then we'll curl right back up in bed and be completely lazy. To be honest my legs...are a little weak still." Chuckling she gave him a playful nudge trying to boost his spirits.
Her words brought a smile to his face as he listened to her. He leaned up and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, Rowen. I...needed that."
Rowen smiled brightly at him, touching his face lovingly. "And I don't think I'll ever get tired of you. Even if I did tired of you, I can gossip with Ophelia. She's a wonderful gossiper."
He rolled his eyes at her and shook his head, sighing. But their moment was cut short.
"Captain!" The image came to life, standing next to them on the floor. She was standing over him a little.
"Ophelia?" He turned on her, glaring at the image. He said her name like he was swearing.
"Sorry, Captain, but, there is a message for you from Secondary Initiative on the console! They say it is urgent!"
Idris paled. He turned back to Rowen, his eyes closed. He did not look pleased. He grunted, exhaling, and leaned up to kiss her on the forehead again. "Listen...I'm really sorry...but, I...have to take this, I'm afraid." He smiled weakly and then frowned, his shoulders sagging. "I promise though...I'll join you in just a moment, ok?" He was not very happy about leaving her, but he was thankful that they were not in the middle of a conversation, but more towards the end. He grudgingly walked away from her towards the cockpit.
Ophelia looked at Rowen. "I apologize, Mistress Rowen. I did not mean to interrupt yours and Captain Chariton's conversation, but I am afraid that the captain has made it very clear to me that I am not permitted to neglect messages from SI. I am sure he'll return, though, quite shortly."
Well, she had been Rowen's favorite right until that moment, nodding a bit disappointed at Idris, then watched him walk away, addressing Ophelia as she moved towards the shower. "Don't worry, Ophelia, it's perfectly alright. Thank you." Climbing to her feet, Rowen went into the galley to find some food. When she finished, she walked back to the bedroom, waiting for Idris to come back, constantly checking the doorway for any sign of Idris returning. The only thing she could hear was the uneasy silence that had fallen over the ship and the low humming of the life support systems, the thrumming of the antispace propulsion.
Ophelia appeared, and it was quickly clear that her intent was to try to distract Rowen and prevent her from both realizing that Idris had been absent for so long and attempt to deter her from obtaining a spontaneous motivation to investigate his whereabouts. "Do you need any more clothes, Mistress, or something to eat or drink? There is still a lot of material left in the dispenser and I am sure we can render something special for you." She smiled pleasantly, almost too pleasantly, as the image looked over at her from the dresser.
Very disappointed that Idris was not back. She barely gave Ophelia a second glance. "No, no, Ophelia, I'm fine." Strange, where had Idris run off to? Surely his call wouldn't have lasted this long? "Ophelia, is Idris still speaking with...whoever was trying to reach him?" Whether or not Ophelia answered, Rowen was already walking towards the door. She wasn't worried, just curious about what happened to the man who had promised to return.
"I...am not sure that I know what you are talking about, Mistress, but if you are looking for Captain Chariton, I am sure I can locate him for you and notify him of your desire to have his presence..." Her voice trailed off, as she walked away.
A door, which had not been there before, had shut off the passage from the ring corridor to the cockpit. Behind it, occasionally, she would be able to hear a little bit of Idris' voice, but the overall conversation was inaudible from behind the durasteel door. He was obviously still talking to someone. "No, no need to tell him. I can tell him myself, Ophelia. I..." She stopped when she almost smacked right into this new door. Frowning, she reached up to lightly tap it, and then paused to listen to the voices. "Ophelia...what's going on?" She asked, as soon as she walked back into the bedroom. Seating herself on the edge of the bed, she looked towards the computer's little hologram, not amused by what was going on, her mood slowly, but surely, souring. Running a hand down her face she sighed heavily as she impatiently awaited an answer.
The image shook its head. "I am afraid I am not sure what you mean, Mistress. Everything is operating perfectly within normal parameters. I am sure whatever you need, however, that I can be of assistance." The image smiled, politely and sincerely now.
"Ophelia, for what I need right now, you definitely cannot be of any assistance."
The sound of the door opening, with somewhat of a metal-scratching-metal noise, followed by footsteps, could be heard from the ring corridor. Sighing heavily, she laid back on the bed, curled up by the time Idris returned to the room. Idris looked...different somehow, in a way that wasn't necessarily apparent or immediately perceivable, but something was definitely different. Despite himself, he smiled. He held up his hands and his expression became overwhelmed with remorse and submission. "I'm so sorry, Rowen. I...it..." His mouth hung open, as he ran out of things to say. "I'm really sorry." His shoulders slumped and he frowned, his eyes pleading.
Noticing the change in him, she immediately frowned and sat up, mildly alarmed. Holding a hand up to cease his apologies, she studied him closely for a moment. "What's wrong? What was that call about? Idris...what happened?" She didn't stand, not yet. She was beginning to feel uneasy, not sure what had happened from the time he had left her until now. .
His expression changed, and he looked very calm, confident even. His expression was the perfect neutral and his eyes looked...happy? He moved to sit on her bed, and then his smile grew in confidence. He shook his head. "It's nothing, Sweetie. I just got a call. I..." He stopped and cleared his throat. "How are you?" He smiled at her.
Ophelia piped in, the image speaking from the dresser opposite the bed. "Captain, I'm afraid she does not believe you, not in the slightest. Her complexion and surface temperature readings indicate that she has no intention of believing your cover story any longer."
Looking away just as Ophelia spoke, she arched an eyebrow. Ophelia was back in her good graces, and Idris was certainly not. Looking over at the projection she smiled a bit. "Thank you, Ophelia, for being honest." Turning back to Idris, she remained completely silent as he sent Ophelia off, and then began to explain himself.
Idris shut his eyes, his expression filling with irritation and annoyance. "Thank you, Ophelia. Why don't you go check and make sure that the antispace communications board is inactive since you don't have anything else better to do." His eyes remained shut, and he opened his eyes and looked at her, his expression sad. It didn't appear that he was sad she'd seen through him or even that she didn't want him to know. He looked sad that now that she had seen through him, he had no choice but to tell her. "I received a transmission...from...a faction that calls themselves Secondary Initiate." He stopped, wanting to gauge her reactions to the statement, hoping to read any sense of understanding in her eyes.
She didn't understand. Frowning, she shook her head a little bit. She knew this wasn't good news. The sadness in his eyes explained that all. "So? Secondary Initiate, who are they?"
"Secondary Initiative, or SI as they are often referred to, are a splinter faction that I did a few jobs for after..." his mouth moved to open, and whatever he was going to say, disappeared. "After...it...well, it was a long time ago." He smiled weakly. "Anyway, I've done a few...things...for them, here and there." He smiled again, just as weak as before."And...the...communication...took longer...than I had anticipated." Another weak smile.
"That doesn't mean anything to me. So they called you, what did they want from you? Why do you have that look on your face?" There was more to this story that she hadn't gotten yet, and it was making her annoyed. Feeling as if she were itching she stood up, remaining in front of him, but now she was looking down at him, impatience flashing across her eyes.
"They had a task for me, and an update. And what look?" He looked up at her.
"That sad look. Guilty also, and a little bit of...I don't know, something else that is not anywhere near happy."
"I'm sorry, SI isn't fun. I wanted to avoid involving you or even depriving you of your ignorance. The last thing I'd ever want is for you to show up on their radar. They love Gifteds, and they recruit them quite actively. Some get the fun stick - they get jobs, money, assignments...and...some get the short stick. They get recruited into programs that are less considerate to the...candidate." He frowned and shut his eyes, his gaze falling toward the ground. He looked back up at her after a short moment. "What else...do you want to know?" He looked defeated, though it was clear that if she had any questions, this was the perfect opportunity to ask them.
Listening as he explained about the Gifted, she shook her head and took a step back. "You locked me out. You were trying to shut me out. Which is...fine, I suppose. I'm just...I'm just...no one here. But still...they wouldn't know I was a Gifted. No one can tell. I look perfectly normal from the outside. And trust me, I don't go around lighting people on fire. I...don't want to know anything else. It's obvious you don't want to tell me anything. So I'll spare you." Turning, she headed for the door, rubbing the back of her neck.
He looked hurt and helpless. As she went for the door, he stopped her. He got in her way, holding up his hands in surrender. "No, wait. Just..." He exhaled, his eyes closed. He looked at her, his eyes a little wet. He sighed roughly and breathed out through his nose. "Ok, look...just...sit down...please? I'll just..." his gaze moved up toward the ceiling as he briefly contemplated his actions before he looked at her again. "Just sit down...and I'll tell you everything, ok?"
Frowning at him she allowed him to lead her back to the bed, plopping down on the edge. Arms crossed, legs crossed, she had her guard up, eyes watching him closely.
He shut his eyes a long moment and his shoulders sagged. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just not your burden to bear, Rowen." He opened his eyes and looked at her. "But I can't handle you...that..." his frowned deepened. "I can't bear it when you...look at me like that."
"Look at you like what?" She asked feigning a mock innocence, then immediately shrugged looking away. "Sorry. Idris...you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." If he didn't want to let her in, that was fine, then he wouldn't be let in either. Except she had already let him in, more than she had ever let anyone in. Sighing softly, she raised her eyes back to his, trying not to show the hurt in her eyes, keeping herself in that closed off position.
"Ok...so first things first. You're...not the first Gifted that I've been..." He searched for the right word, but he looked to be at a loss. "That I've..." He exhaled through his nose. "You're not the first Gifted whose been on this ship, Rowen. There was another...about five years ago...not long before I met you for the first time." He watched her, waiting to see how this affected her.
Rowen stared at him for a moment, her muscles tightening. "That you've been with." She answered simply, and actually scooted back a little, or maybe she just seemed to shrink a little. Suddenly, she felt all her happiness just go right down some drain, felt herself possibly even pale. But she kept her jaw set, her chin held up. "Fine...go on." she said, a little colder than she had intended, and quickly cleared her throat gently.
"Aria was a member of SI and I met her out on one of the rimward planets. She hired me to pilot her somewhere. Unfortunately, she neglected to give me all the details. When we set down at the destination, she was ambushed. SI still won't tell me who it was or recognize their existence, but...after that, I was on their radar. SI kept trying to bring me into their fold. When..." He shut his eyes, a tear streaming down his face. "I tried to save her. I managed to fight off the...whatever they were. I don't even know how I survived. But I managed to get Aria back on board. We got off the surface and as soon as I could safely make the jump, we were in antispace. I tried to...to treat her, but back then, my knowledge of emergency medical first aid was very limited, and Ophelia didn't have the programming to help me assist in treating her injuries. She died about...an hour after the confrontation. I..." He sighed. Then he shook his head. "Anyway, after...she..." He paused a long moment. "They contacted me, requesting an update. When they found out what had happened, they showed up and seized Atalanta. They threw me behind bars for two days while they checked the ship. I think they simply wanted to erase her...from...everything. Anyway, after that, they reimbursed me and sent me on my way, letting me know that they would be keeping in contact with me."
He sighed again and looked at her. "About two weeks later, I found you on board my ship. You know all about that...and about everything that had happened. When you left, though, I tried to find you...but the Jastarian Militia were not a bright or helpful bunch. I tried to find you on my own...and...I..." his voice trailed off, and his gaze went to a distant place that she couldn't see. He shook his head. "When...when I couldn't find you...I..." He shook his head again. "Anyway, not long afterward, SI contacted me. They somehow knew my situation and offered to pay me in return for services. I did a few jobs for them, just a few supply runs. They paid me very well and even upgraded a lot of Atalanta's systems to standard military specifications. About...one or two solar cycles later, I was pulled from a job to do an emergency rendezvous. They wouldn't give me the details, they just had me abort and arrive at a destination. I did. I waited for about six hours before a little corvette analog dropped out of antispace and popped onto my sensors. They were being pursued." He looked at her, smiling with a great deal of malice.
"One of the details they'd neglected to notify me about. Anyway...the ship's AI hailed me and I was able to get a lock on their little ship. We docked and evacuated the passengers, miraculously, while evading the pursuing battleships. Somehow, these two little girls had found a way to escape on this little escape craft and get the attention of two Elite Class Planet Busters. We got the girls on board and ditched the analog. We outran the battleships and I made the jump to the secondary coordinates that General-" He cleared his throat. "That SI had given me. They took the little girls, who apparently were well associated with them."
He shook his head. "It scared me to death to know that this splinter faction already had these girls in their hands...so much so that they recognized each other. I didn't feel comfortable asking any questions, but I doubt I'll ever be able to get Kastia and Freya Wymond's little faces out of my mind as long as I live. I...never saw them again. Anyway, after that, I got cold feet. I ditched SI and told them never to contact me again. Ever. That was when I got my first real civilian job. It didn't pay as well, but...it paid."
He sighed, his frown returning. "Anyway, apparently an SI vessel was attacked by the...the faction that they won't tell me about. They busted the ship and took its crew prisoner. Captain Jon Wymond, and his sister, Freya Wymond, were two names listed on the ship's manifest." He shut his eyes. "Anyway, they...the call...took a little longer...because it wasn't a simple, 'No, I'm still not interested. Drop into a gas giant and die, Scum.' I...they wanted to recruit me for the offensive they're planning...but I'm...I don't want to go back. I'm not going back." He looked at her, frowning still. He shook his head closing his eyes. "I'm sorry...I just...my...my past is not...relevant to our future. I didn't want you to have to...to force you to be a part of it. I'm sorry."
Rowen was stunned into silence. It was a lot of information to take in. Staring at him, she just focused on her breathing. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in...she needed something simple to focus on. Something that would keep her head from spinning off into a whole other universe. Very slowly, Rowen stood up, arms hugging herself tightly, and she walked to the door, then turned to walk back, then back to the door, then towards the closet in the room. It was an endless, circular pace that she started up, staring at the ground. She needed to just focus, to process everything that had just been thrown at her. Finally, she disappeared into the refresher and emerged with a few tissues, walking over to him, and without a word, or a change in her stunned expression, wiped his damp face tenderly. Biting her lower lip, she continued to clean him up 'til he had a dry face, then she gently backed away, disposing of the tissues. Walking back to him, she stood in front of him, staring down at him.
"...Idris. I'm sorry. That is the only thing I can think of to say to you right now. I...you had so much pain. I...I understand, but I also understand that if you want to let someone in, you let them be part of all of you. Future, present...past." Rowen knew that was a direct contradiction for herself. She had never told him about where she came from, what her childhood had been like and yet...Shaking her head she reached out and gently caressed his face. "I have no more words, Idris. I just...I don't." And then she stepped away again beginning her pace, still not sure what to do with herself. And because it calmed her, because it helped even more than focusing on her breathing, she held up a hand as it became engulfed into calm orange flames. And she stopped walking, stared at the flames watching as they changed colors - orange, red, blue, orange...and she felt herself begin to settle down with the information.
He went to reach out for her, to take her wrist and bring her back to him as he watched her pace, panicked all the more by her unordinary reactions. When his hand went to grasp her, however, he thought better of it, because just at that moment, he watched the flames come to life in her hand. He frowned at her and exhaled through his nose. "I...I'm sorry, Rowen. I just...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..." He shook his head and stood.
"You're wrong, you know. You had to tell me. I wanted to know. But what I don't understand is...why are you sorry? What the hell is there to be sorry about?" Despite the tone of voice she should have had, or what he expected her to have, possibly angry, or frustrated - she spoke calmly. On one even level, never altering. She needed to stay calm right now, because he was hurting, he was in distress, and if they were both panicking then only bad would come of it. More tears, more things on fire.
He looked at her, his voice breaking. "BECAUSE, Rowen. I...I don't want to lose you. I don't want to wake up one day and find you...just missing. I don't want SI to find out about you, or these harvesters that they are fighting. If THEY find you..." He shook his head, running his hands over his face and sniffling. "It's only by a sheer miracle that I've evaded them. And I know they want me. Dead or alive. Because, I chose a side, and as far as they are concerned, now you have too! And it's not even our fight! You...you shouldn't..." His hands were moving like he wanted to hit something, rising and falling, balling into fists. "You should be safe, and I've jeopardized your safety. If SI can find me in antispace...then they can find me anywhere. And it's only a matter of time before..."
He exhaled a long breath and balled his hands into fists. He swung at the wall and obliterated one of the tiles. The dent in the wall was about the size of his fist, but his fist had only bounced off of it. His hand had not been as lucky, as the fingers of his left hand no longer looked very straight. The skin on his knuckles had been broken and was bleeding, but not much more than to shed a few drops on the floor. The purple and black in his hand only lasted, however, for a few moments. He gasped, and turned away from her. He cried out and swore loudly, holding his broken fist with his right hand. He shut his eyes as he turned away from her. She'd heard the crack of his bones as he'd lost the fight with the wall, but now he was trying to hide it from her. Blood continued to trail on the floor as he walked away from her. He grabbed a towel and wrapped his hand in it. He sighed and shut his eyes a long moment before he looked at her again. He was at a loss as to what to say, his face paled as he occasionally shut his eyes, holding his hand in the towel.
A little cry escaped her as soon as she watched his fist come in contact with the wall. Even though he turned away from her, tried to hide his hand she walked up to him, grabbing his shoulder to spin him till he was facing her. "Stop it." She ordered, her voice suddenly low and intense like he probably had never heard from her. "You stop it right now, Idris!" Reaching for his hand, not wearing the expression of a woman who wanted to be told "no" right now, she slowly moved the towel to the side. Eyes studied the wound and she nodded. "Lead me to your medical supplies, I can fix this. DON'T argue with me, please. I'm going to take care of you."
He shook his head, trying to pull his hand away, but she managed to get the towel. He covered his left hand with his right, trying to hide it from her. He was adamant. "No, it's ok. I just...it's...it's not that bad. I just..." He tried to turn away from her. "I don't need any medical supplies. I just need to..." He pulled his hands apart. He took his hand in his right, deftly, and she could hear the crunching as he set the bones straight. He cried out softly as he did each one. The purple had already faded to a red and his skin was no longer bleeding. The tones and colors seemed to shift about on his hands, like the silhouette of a swarm of bugs. He sighed and went to hide it from her again.
The purple faded completely and his fingers were left covered in dried blood, the red in his hands having shifted in depth and intensity, obtaining a lighter tone until it was only a pale red. He sighed and turned to her, his expression blank and his mouth wordless. "You just...Idris!...Idris? Wha...I..." Quickly, she turned his hand over, then back again as if she might find some sign, besides the dried blood, of his fist being broken. Dropping his hand, she stepped back to stare at him. "What happened? What is this?"
He felt an opportunity present himself, an opportunity to lie, but he only considered it for a moment...or maybe a few moments. He sat there a little dumbfounded, not immediately answering her question. He opened his mouth to speak, and then stopped, his gaze shifting as he avoided her. He allowed her to see his hand, letting her look at it, but he couldn't look at her as she did. He frowned. "I...it's...not anything, Rowen. It's...it's just a hand." His voice sounded sad and disappointed. He sighed and slowly walked over to the sink. He washed the dried blood from his hand and then looked at her in the reflection of the mirror.
"It's a hand that was broken, and now isn't. Explain this to me Idris!" Her voice rose a level and an angry red began to flush her cheeks. "Stop lying to me, just stop it! Just tell me the truth!" She hit the wall with the palm of her hand, not breaking anything, or really hurting herself. But it looked little more adult than stamping her foot on the ground.
He sighed. "Alright. When...when Aria...when she died, I think something happened to me. Sometimes when I get hurt, for some reason, I don't stay hurt for...as long as I should, I guess. It's not very reliable, and it only seems to happen when I get worked up, like if I am angry or upset? I can also...I can stop things?" He looked unsure, his forehead kneading. "I've been able to absorb and harness the kinetic energy of objects. I can only absorb some of it though. After it gets to a certain point, the friction...I guess, of me absorbing the energy...well, I get burned." He exhaled a long breath and shut his eyes. "There...that's everything...pretty much. You know...everything." He frowned and shrugged.
Calm was no longer something that Rowen was able to keep a handle on. As soon as that red had flushed across her cheeks, she had crossed a line, and there was no going back until it was out of her system. "Right...Because of Aria...Right." She knew, even in her angry state, it was wrong to be jealous of a dead woman, someone who seemed to mean very little to Idris, but she couldn't help it. "So I know...everything. Wonderful. I'm so glad I've found out now. Thank you so much for being so honest. I only had to beg, and scream, and practically threaten with fire!" Walking up to him, she grabbed onto his shirt sleeve which began to smoke, and suddenly, there were flames growing on the fabric.
His eyes almost popped out of his head. He scoffed and patted out the fire. To his disappointment, the fire had managed to taint his skin a nasty red color. He frowned as he watched and the skin remained the burned shade of red. "Oh right, now it doesn't work!" He groaned and scoffed, moving to the sink to run some cold water over the burn.
Turning, Rowen left him there, heading quickly towards the galley. She leaned against the wall, and slowly slid down it until she was seated on the floor. Her heart was pounding painfully hard.
Idris followed her into the galley, his arm and shirt still damp. He frowned and knelt down next to her. "Rowen...I'm sorry I lied to you. It wasn't fair for me to expect you to be open with me, and then keep my secrets.
She just stared at the floor angrily. She didn't want to look at him. Rowen was not amused, not in the slightest. She leaned against the counter, glad that it actually steadied her. "Ophelia...I am going to bed. For my own safety, and Captain Chariton's safety, I think it best we sleep in different chambers tonight. I will take the bedroom and he can have the cockpit. Could you please make sure the door is locked, please?" Holding onto the wall, so she was steady, she focused on walking towards the bedroom, pausing a moment to speak to Idris. "Goodnight, you bumbling idiot. Get some sleep. You look terrible." With that, she huffed, and headed into the bedroom, the door shutting behind her.
Idris watched her leave, looking confused. He looked over at Ophelia, who disappeared. He looked around and realized he was alone. He made his way into the ring corridor and went to his bedroom. As he approached the door, it slid open, as it was programmed to do upon his approach. He stood in the doorway, looking around. "Rowen, please. Why are you acting like this? Was I supposed to lie to you? You told me to tell you the truth, and then I do and you turn your back on me? I don't understand. I mean, you haven't exactly poured out any secrets about yourself. I still don't know anything about you."
"You told me everything, but I had to beg. You didn't WANT to tell me everything. You don't WANT to let me in. You won't WANT to trust me. Get a pattern yet? Probably not...go to sleep, okay?" She snapped viciously. "Please just...go to sleep. My head is starting to hurt and I feel sick alright."
He frowned and sighed. He walked around to the cockpit and sat in the chair, reclining as he looked out into the brilliant colors around him. He smiled and slowly shut his eyes. He didn't feel tired or sleepy, not even groggy. He thought about everything that had happened that day, and despite how it had turned out, he felt grateful that he had managed to come clean with her.
Rowen heard him leave the room, and she almost sat up and asked him not to go. To come to bed, to hold her, make her feel better. But he was gone before she could convince herself to move. Actual tears sprang up to her eyes as she sniffled feeling horrible, and self pity, and then even more self pity from being so pitiful. Standing up on very shaky legs, she went into the refresher chamber, turning on the sink and began to wash up.
"Ophelia?" his voice was solemn and defeated as he summoned her.
"Yes, Captain?"
"Be sure and take whatever necessary measures you must, to wake me, when Rowen completes her sleep cycle. And...reactivate the antispace communications board."
"Yes, Sir. Shall I notify you if General Durron hails you again?"
"Yes..."
"Very well, Sir. Sleep well." And her image faded again. Idris leaned his head back, closing his eyes as he rested in the chair.
It had taken her a while to fall asleep, but once she was in just the right position, she had passed out cold. She awoke several hours later. Slowly, she sat up, groaning softly as she sat there in the middle of the bed and all of a sudden the night before came flooding back to her. Except her anger had now dulled to a sad, aching hurt. She no longer had the urge to set anyone or anything on fire.
The crash webbing in Idris' pilot's chair wrapped around him tightly and then his chair started to spin, very fast. The door to the cockpit shut and a loud noise resonated inside of the chamber. It was a symphony of noises and they echoed around the room, certain to rouse him. It only took about fifteen seconds of this before Idris was awake. "Awake! Awake! I'm AWAKE!" The noise faded and his chair stopped spinning. Idris felt sick from the force of the spinning chair. He groaned and looked around as the cockpit door opened. He stood slowly and walked to the galley. He sighed as he strolled in. He made some caff and started sipping. He sat at the table and looked down into the cup. He yawned and looked around. "Ophelia?"
"Yes, Captain."
He took another sip and then spoke. "What is our Esti-"
"Our ETA to Baramasta is still approximately twenty-three standard hours."
He nodded slowly and finished his caff, looking around. He frowned and sighed, wondering if Rowen would turn up.
She made a half-hearted effort to run her fingers through hair so it looked nice, and then groggily left the bedroom heading into the galley. She stopped when she saw Idris sitting there. "Oh. Good morning." Well she was speaking to him, politely. "I'll just grab tea and go back to the room and stay out of your way if you want." She informed him, walking over to the dispenser and waited for her tea quietly, wincing as her head continued to ache here and there.
He looked at her, silently, and pursed his lips together. He finished his cup, and then in a show of annoyance, he shoved the glass mug with his fingers, letting the cup clink and tumble across the table. The cup accelerated and leapt from the table at her head, missing her by a few inches and then bounced harmlessly off the wall behind her. The glass didn't break, tumbling away from the wall and slowing as it dropped into the discard bin on the opposite side of the room. He smiled cordially and left the galley, walking into his room, the door closing automatically behind him.
She ducked out of the way, yelping a little at the mug flew towards her head. She sighed with relief and frowned. She probably deserved that. She moved after him and managed to shove her arm and half her body through the door opening, to prevent it from shutting. She pressed inside and the door shut behind her. "I'm...sorry. I'm sorry I behaved so...undesirably, last night. I was also hurt and angry and although some of the things I said were true, I should have behaved better. So...I'm sorry because...I care for you. And I trusted you and...I made a mistake last night. That is what I'm sorry for and I wanted you to hear me."
His expression relaxed then and he pursed his lips. "Well, it's ok. You now know almost everything. There is nothing more that you're going to find out about me, so I am not really concerned about any repeats of last night." He went to shut the door that time. He was cranky, and he didn't appear to have a lot of patience. It was possible that sleeping in his pilot's chair, alone, had allowed him to callous a little through the night. Or maybe he was just being asinine.
"Wait!" She was not getting kicked out that quickly. As he went to shut the door, she stepped into the room, shutting that door behind her. She was here to make peace, even if that meant dealing with a difficult, cranky, Idris. Whatever he wanted to be that morning. "You're right, I do know almost everything...and thank you. You said something last night...that I hadn't told you anything. And you're right...I haven't. I was yelling at you for being so difficult to get the truth to of and here I am...not telling you a thing." She reached for his hands, grabbing onto them. "But I want to tell you. I want to let you in, and trust you...but you have to let me. And you have to actually forgive me."
But before he could respond, the ship shuddered, and almost immediately, the sound of alarms filled the entire ship. The image appeared in the room, screaming at him. "CAPTAIN! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
As the ship jarred again, he looked over and saw the image. Then he heard it. The engine alarms. He swore loudly, leaving Rowen as he ran to the cockpit.
Rowen's heart leapt into her throat. Staring at Idris, she watched him run towards the cockpit, staying where she was. Following after him would only cause more problems.
He jumped into the pilot's seat. "This isn't Baramasta! Where are we?!"
"About eight hours short of our destination, Captain. Somewhere just outside of the Klendastan System."
"What happened?!"
"We were pulled out of antispace by a gravity well."
Idris gaped, open-mouthed, and then pointed at the viewscreen. "What gravity well?! There isn't a black hole or gas giant within two light years of here!"
"Sensors read that the anomaly is coming from the cruiser just up off to port and ahead about eight hundred kilometers."
Idris groaned and looked out at the ship. "Readings?"
"It is not in any of the logs."
Idris paled. "Oh no..."
"Captain? What is it?"
"It's...it's them...the...THEM! Contact SI, hail Captain Durron!"
"We're already being hailed, Captain."
"Put it on speaker."
"Ulratian vessel Atalanta. Stand down and your ship will not be harmed. Bring your engines to a full stop and we can ensure the most conducive, painless transition. Failure to comply will result in your slow, agonizing death and the destruction of your vessel." The voice was that of a man, his tone even and calm as he made the order.
"Battleship...identify yourself! This is a civilian vessel! You've just attack a citizen of the Alliance, unprovoked I might add. It'll be a cold day in hell when I surrender and go quietly into the night, especially for strangers."
The voice changed, a feminine creature filling the cockpit with the sound of her voice. "Mmm, but we're not strangers, Captain Chariton. You know me very well, from Jastar, if memory serves. Oh, and the lovely Ophelia. Ship's computer, yes? I am confident that if you analyze the odds of your escape...and your survival, should you resist, that they are well in my favor."
The image looked at him, nodding grimly. "I am afraid she is correct, Captain."
Idris moved to boost the sublight engines to full, but when he went to throttle, a short in the console almost started a fire. "Oh no..."
"Captain, it would appear that the force of our reversion caused the sublight engines to burn out. They are now completely offline. Life support and emergency lighting are still functioning, but we've lost propulsion."
He swore again. "Where is my uplink to SI?!"
"They're jamming us, Sir. There is no way we can get a transmission out of here."
He slammed his fist onto the control panel and felt defeat washing over him, his voice solemn and submitting. "Battleship...whoever you are...we surrender. We're bringing the vessel offline and are awaiting further instructions."
"Good, Captain. See you soon..." And with that, the ship fell into silence again.
He had no idea what to do. He was most concerned with saving Rowen. He was panicking.
Rowen entered the cockpit just as she heard the word "surrender," and then the silence began. "...Idris. What's going on? And before you shoo me off, stick me in some cargo place where you think I won't be found, and I'll be 'safe,' just think about how damn stubborn I am. And that I am, in fact, a Gifted, and can help. I can fight, and if you put me somewhere, and try to hold information from me...well...just don't think about it. What's going on?" She asked her final question in a firm voice, expecting full honesty out of him right now. Determination and worry were painted across her face. "I'm going to help...in any way that I can. In a way that doesn't mean you push me to the side." Hands on her hips, she stared at him a little longer, waiting for his response. And then slowly, because she needed to, she walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. She needed that contact with him to feel at least a little safe.
"Rowen...please, you don't understand. These people...they will not be bargained with. They don't want a fight, they want conquest. When they get on board, if they even see you, they'll take you...and they'll take your gift, too, if they can. And if they can't...they'll kill you. They want nothing with ordinary humans, they only want us. They want Gifteds. And no, you don't get that option. If I have to beat you senseless or drug you into submission in order to hide you, then that's what I will do. I won't let them find you. I won't...let them take you away...I..." his voice cracked a little as he realized the danger he'd put her in, the weight and severity of it sinking in and destroying him.
He stood from the chair and moved to her, taking her arms and pushing her against the doorway. He pointed into the ring corridor. "I want you to get inside of the armor chamber...and don't come out! As soon as they..." his voice trailed off, still staring at her, and his expression fell just a little. "They...won't be long, I promise. They'll take my cargo...and...and leave. Just let them have what they want. Fighting them isn't worth it. We're out gunned, outnumbered, and out matched. I want you to go, NOW, and hide. This is not a negotiation. This is an ORDER, Rowen. Do what I say willingly, please, because I don't want to have to use undesired methods of encouragement. Ophelia, how soon until they arrive?"
"You have approximately two minutes before we are in range of their tractor beam."
He nodded, and looked at her. "Please, Rowen...please. I don't want to lose you. Just go...get inside of the armor chamber." He took her hand and go to lead her back to his room.
Rowen would have fought on any other occasion except this time, this time there was so much emotion in his voice that it shook her to her core. He meant business and he was serious. Falling silent, not offering any protest. "Idris...please..." Stuttering for a moment, she took another deep breath. "I can't lose you either, Idris, so please...don't abandon me here. Please...I don't want to lose you." And quickly, she leaned and placed a short kiss on his lips that said so much more than any words she could tell him, before breaking away and heading towards the armor chamber. She turned to face the doorway, crossing her arms, waiting for him to slide the door shut and lock it.
He let the door slide shut in front of her. He felt the entire ship rock and shudder, almost knocking him off his feet, as Atalanta's skids landed on the surface of the battleship's hangar bay.
"Mistress." Ophelia's image appeared inside of the chamber, looking at her. "If you would like...I can relay the images from my sensors so you don't have to hide blind...or would you prefer not to watch?"
Rowen stared at Ophelia, not sure if she wanted to know what was going on, but she finally nodded to her, whispering, even if it wasn't necessary. "Yes, show me."