Rowen Cairn Part 04

Idris moved to the landing ramp and let it down. Standing at the head of the ramp, he held up his hands in surrender, waiting patiently for his captors to show themselves.
"Captain Chariton." Her words sounded sweet, but the underlying malice made them sound sour. It sounded like purring when she spoke. "I am so glad that we could see each other again. It's been so long since we were together. And now, we can talk more privately. I hope you're not thinking of escaping. I know our sensors show our new generators have disabled your propulsion." She pouted, patronizing. "How awful that must have been for you."
She sighed, moving forward. Her outfit had a form fitting shirt that held tightly to her very attractive form, but her face was like ice. The pale, colorless complexion was beautiful, in its own way, but the skin of her arms had a dark, amethyst hue that made her healthy flesh look dying. Her eyes were silver, her dark hair flowing elegantly down to her shoulder blades. She wore a dark belt and tight-fitted leggings that showed every curve. Her boots came up to the middle of her shin, matching her clothes. The woman stood almost as tall as Idris. "Now, Captain, do you have what I want?"
When he didn't answer her immediately, her happy expression was quickly replaced with rage. She stretched forth her hand and spread her fingers out in a rapid gesture, throwing him off his feet with some unseen force and slamming him into the bulkhead wall. Idris grunted and moved to try to stand again. She pushed her hand forward towards the top of his head and drove him to his knees, looking down at him. "What are you carrying aboard this ship, Captain?"
He shook his head. "No, no, I promise you, it's only me, and...my cargo, of course."
Her eyes looked up and away from him, narrowing at the corridor. She turned around and motioned to two men. "Hadir. Thelo. Check the rest of the ship and see what our dear captain has brought for us."
The tall, stout men nodded at her, their disruptor rifles slung around their back as they turned to walk down the corridor.
She looked down at him, smiling still. "Do you yet know who I am, Captain? Or is the Initiative still maintaining that I do not exist?"
He shook his head. "UDI, I doubt, has had the pleasure of dealing with you...but some day...they'll find you. I wait eagerly for that day." He scowled at her, his response only angering her further.
She struck him across the face with the back of her hand with enough force to break his lower lip against his teeth. Idris spat blood on the ground and looked back up at her. She smiled at him now, grinning, teeth bared. "I am Petraisha Teckhar, Harvester for the Delethirian Empire."
"Mistress, preliminary search yielded no findings. The ship appears to be empty. However, we were unable to access the cargo hold."
She leaned down, her hand on his cheek in mock affection. Her lips moved to his ear. "Come, Captain, let's investigate this problem together." She stepped back, standing up straight and reached towards him using her power to lift him to his feet again.
Idris was pushed forward by one of her guards, forcing him to walk with them to the access panel.
She thinned her eyes, looking over it. She moved to Idris, lifting him off the floor again. She pulled him closer to her, her lips against his ear again. "Idris...please...open your hold for us."
He shut his eyes and shivered. He told her the access code before being shoved forward into the antechamber of the cargo hold. They opened the main door, revealing the virtually empty bulkhead. The pyre fiend was still mounted to the floor in a frozen cube.
Teckhar's eyes widened with excitement. "A pyre fiend. My, my, Captain...when you bring presents." She turned to one of the men. "Bring me a harness."
"I told you, I've no one else on board, just this. Take it, if you'd like." His shoulders fell. He would have to scrub his next assignment, now, and instead of being paid for the delivery, he'd have to pay royally for the loss. He felt despair overcoming him as he wondered what else could possibly go wrong.
"The cargo hold is empty, other than this pet, Mistress." The men bowed to her.
She nodded her head to them, but it was out of respect. When the men bowed to her, they seemed to worship her. "Very good, boys. Now, search the rest of the ship again...see if our captain is hiding anything else."
Idris looked up and felt panic overcoming him. He knew that if he spoke up, she would suspect him. If he pleaded and told her and promised that the rest of the ship was empty...but he held his tongue. A few moments later, the servant returned with the harness that she'd asked for. The chain wasn't very thick, and he worried that it would not be enough to maintain the animal.
She moved forward to the casing where the creature had been imprisoned, and reached out her hand. The ice started to recede, melting away into a pool of liquid on the floor. The creature took only moments to become alert, and as it did, it looked up at her. But, rather than lunge or attack, the creature purred at her. She knelt on one knee at its side and gently allowed her hand to move other the surface of the creature's rocky form. Idris was a little unnerved when her hand didn't catch fire. "Yes, that's right. I'm not going to harm you, little one." She turned around and motioned for the men to harness the creature. It allowed them to chain up its abdomen and connect the harness, handing the end of it to her. She smiled, almost lovingly, at the creature, and then handed off the leash to one of her servants. "Go with them, little one, and I promise...you shall be rewarded."
She raked her fingers over, what Idris assumed, was the creature's chin. The beast followed after the men who lead it away, and to Idris' disappointment, he watched as the trail of steps seemed to leave burn marks in his ship's floor. She turned her attention back to Idris. "Thank you, Captain. I am sure that the creature will be very happy, as my companion, of course." She grinned at him, and Idris felt his stomach churn.
He nodded at her. "Of course, Mistress. Anything...I can do for...the empire." He said her little pet name as patronizingly as he could, his expression falling as he looked around. Then he heard something.
"Mistress! There is another hidden chamber inside the living quarters. We are unable to access it."
She turned on him and glared, her fiery eyes penetrating him with her hate. She took him by the throat and pushed him against the wall. "You haven't been very honest with me, Captain." She thinned her eyes at him. "I think you have another passenger on this ship. I think you're hiding your operative, like you did last time." She threw him towards the door by the throat, forcing him forward as she followed behind him to his living quarters.
The room was still a mess, and as he looked inside, he saw that they had opened and searched the refresher chamber and discovered the hidden chamber inside of his room. Thankfully, it was still closed. The only thing that gave it away was the seam in the wall. He shook his head, looking at her. "You can kill me, Mistress, but I am not going to open this. There is nothing in there but my emergency engines. Nothing of any interest to you."
She scowled at him and struck him again, her hand hitting him, this time, with enough force to throw him off his feet. He stumbled into the wall, his head hitting it, hard. He felt the room spin, and collapsed to the floor. She glared down at him. "It may very well come to that, Captain, if you do not acquiesce. I'll get inside of this compartment, even if it means the destruction of your vessel. Your best decision would be to open the door for me."
Idris seemed to sink into despair. He knew she was telling the truth. He knew that they would execute him without flinching and then blast Atalanta, and Ophelia, into oblivion. Rowen might survive, for a moment...but once they found her, they'd make her wish for death.
She watched as the chaos loomed in his face, as he weighed his decision. She lost her patience. "Very well..." She turned to one of her servants. "Spill his blood! Then blast this ship. We'll find out who he is hiding without his help!"
He moved, looking up at her. "No! Wait..."
***
Quietly, sitting down on the floor, she stared at the image that Ophelia had created for her, watching in horror. Rowen felt her temper flare and all she wanted to do was get out of the armor chamber and light the woman on fire. And then...the woman touched the pyre fiend. Maybe lighting her on fire wasn't going to have much effect. As the men searched the cargo hold, she felt a little relief. Maybe this meant they would go away. Perhaps this meant her and Idris were in the clear, as long as he kept playing by the rules of the game. The knot in her stomach remained though, and she felt a cold chill spread down her body when the men appeared, announcing a hidden chamber. Oh no...that was her. Immediately, Rowen shot to her feet, looking around frantically for any place she could hide.
"Ophelia...I need your help. I need to hide..." But there wasn't anywhere she could see, and even if she tried, she feared they would just find her. "Please, Idris...don't let them separate us." She whispered and her fear for him grew as her fear for her own well-being sky rocketed. They'd kill her. Wincing at the all too familiar, she continued to frantically search the room, praying for any sign of a place to hide, or that Idris would help keep them away from the armor chamber.
***
"Wait...I'll..." He sighed, moving to his feet. He was pleading with her. "What is it that you are searching for? I promise, I no longer work for SI. I'm freelance. Just...please, let me go. Allow me to take Atalanta, and Ophelia, and leave. You've nothing to gain from killing me or destroying my ship."
She glared at him and struck him again. "If you do not open this door, I'll make you wish you were dead and take great pleasure in it! And then I'll have your vessel melted into scrap metal and jettisoned into space!"
He shut his eyes a long moment. There was nothing he could do. If he refused, she'd kill him...and then, inevitably, kill Rowen. He nodded at her. "Very well..." He sounded defeated. He moved about the room, retrieving the remote, opening the hidden panel and entered the access code. The door slid open. Idris closed his eyes. He didn't want to look.
The men entered the chamber, observing the armor, the clothes...including the dress, and then found her. They'd pull her to her feet by her hair, dragging her out of the chamber, and then push her to her knees.
"Ah. Engines hmm, Captain?" She kicked his legs out from under him, stepping on his throat. "You lied to me, Captain."
"What...was I supposed...to do? Give...her up...freely...and let you...kill her?" He rasped, struggling to get her boot away from his throat, feeling the room spinning as his run-in with the wall, and his slowly decreasing supply of oxygen, began to take their toll.
"Kill her?" She smiled, her gaze momentarily looking over at her, away from Idris. She pouted. "She is a pretty thing and it would be a pity to pointlessly spill her blood."
"If...you...thought...she was...with...them...you would..." He felt his eyes lids getting heavy as he continued to struggle. She was stronger than he could cope with, especially in his disoriented, weakened state.
"But she isn't, is she?" She let him go, and he grabbed his throat, gasping for breath as he moved to sit up. She went to Rowen, now, and tipped her chin up with a finger. She stared into her eyes for a long moment, looking her over, and then her eyes went wide with surprise. "Oh my..." She'd turned to Idris, who paled.
He swallowed, hoping. "I-I know...she's...pretty, isn't she?"
She laughed at him. A giddy, hysterical, maniacal laugh as her head tipped back at him. She got down on one knee, her hand moving to Rowen's hair, tipping her head back. She smiled at Idris, an evil grin. She looked to Rowen, whispering in her ear. "Mmm...you haven't told him, have you, Little Girl. Mmmmm...but I can feel it. The power inside you resonates against me like...like the warmth of a sun. I can see why you wouldn't want to trust him. After all, he's not very bright...and his will is so easily broken." Her voice dropped a little lower. "And it seems like he'd do just about anything for the likes of you." Her voice became cold as she looked over at her men. "Bind her. She'll come aboard Astaria with us."
Idris leapt to his feet, tears streaming down his face. "No! Please! Wait! Mistress..." He fell to his knees, shamelessly pleading. "I'll...do...anything. Just...please...please, let her go and...just...please...Don't take her...away."
She looked at him, watching with pleasure as he humiliated himself before her. "Oh my, Captain. Developed a little soft spot for your passenger, have you? Mmm...it's so dangerous...the women you love. They don't seem to have very good luck with you, do they?"
He shook his head. "Please...you...you killed Aria...I understand why now...but...she means nothing to you. Just please...free her. You'll...anything, take anything. Just let her go."
She glared at him, and then looked to Rowen. She grinned at her. "I'll free you then, Precious. But first..." She stretched forth her hand, and closed her eyes. Rowen could feel an agony come over her, feel her power manifest on its own, her skin projecting flames all over her body.
Idris sprang to his feet. "NO! PLEASE! STOP! MISTRESS!" He grabbed her hand, pulled it away. He let her palm face him. He put her hand to his forehead. "Please...take...take me...instead. Don't...don't harm her...just...just take me...mine. Her...it is...so much...insignificant in comparison."
She wrinkled her forehead at him, and her eyes filled with understanding. She smiled at him, that same malevolent smile she enjoyed so much. "Captain...all this time...and you hid so well...kept my senses at bay." She licked her lips. She shut her eyes and pushed Idris away. She pointed to Rowen. "We have everything we need from her. Throw her in the chamber again."
The men obeyed, pulling Rowen up by her hair again, and shoving her into the chamber, hard. Suddenly, the wall met her head...hard. The lights in the chamber swirled...and all she could see was black...
***
When Rowen awoke, it would felt as though no time had passed. The door of the chamber was still closed, and as Ophelia sensed her consciousness, she appeared next to her. "Mistress..." The voice was solemn as the image spoke to her. "I will open the chamber for you. You will be happy to know that the harvesters let us go. Atalanta is adrift, but I am confident that our captain will be able to make the necessary repairs. Only if he wakes up. Since they shoved us back into space, approximately seven hours ago, he has yet to come to." The image frowned and disappeared, the door to the chamber opening.
Idris was scattered on the floor, not moving, not conscious. He was alive, the fall and rising of his chest made that clear, but he did not appear to be stirring.
Rowen lifted her head slowly, groaning softly as an immediate headache set in. Reaching up carefully, she felt her temple, pulling her fingers away - they had a little bit of blood on them, and she could feel the dried blood caking her skin and hair. What had happened? And then it all came rushing back to her. The woman, beating Idris and then...they had found her. Rowen cringed as she remembered the sheer pain of her powers being forced up to the surface by the woman, and then being let go so suddenly. Idris...she had watched Idris offer himself up for her.
"Ophelia...have you tried anything? Shaken him? Shaken the whole ship? Anything?" Panic filled her to the brim, bubbling over, making every part of her ache as she rushed over to his limp body, ignoring her own pain. She grabbed onto him. "Oh...Idris...please...please wake up. Please!" She gave him a couple of shakes, praying for a grumpy noise of acknowledgment, anything. "Please, Idris...I need you right now. Please be okay. Please wake up! Please!" She was desperate tears falling down her cheeks as she held him, trying to bring him back to consciousness. "Ophelia...can't you read him? Tell me what's happening with him?"
The image shook its head at her. "His heart beat and breathing seem...fine. I can't measure his brain waves from here to check to see if he is in a comatose state. However, like I said, because we are still without propulsion, there is nothing I can do in the way of tilting the ship or stirring him. He...he suffered a great deal...at the hand of his attacker." Her voice fell as the image walked around to the side of his head, looking down at him sorrowfully.
Then the image changed, growing larger, retelling the events that had taken place, showing as she was thrown carelessly into the chamber. Then the woman returned to Idris, her hands moving to the sides of his head. She shut her eyes and then smiled, tensing as Idris cried out in pain, struggling to pull her hands away from him as the agony coursed through him. Because his powers had no manifestation, subtle as they were, there appeared to be no reaction. But she cried out in pleasure and screamed, her eyes opening wide. She moaned loudly and Idris began to twitch. She let go of him, casting him to the floor. She looked over at one of the guards. She motioned at him, and he threw his weapon to her. As the weapon crossed the distance between them, she held up her hand, the weapon moving to a standstill in midair. She reached out and took it with one hand. Then she tossed it back towards him, but reached out her hand after it, the rifle flying past the man and out into the corridor, smashing into the wall. She smiled, pleased with herself. She left Idris on the floor. He groaned again, moving a little and seemed to drift off to sleep, or more likely, he seemed to just pass out at that point.
Rowen watched as Ophelia replayed everything, horror taking over her face, and a hand gently clamped over her mouth. Poor Idris...he had done all that for her?
The memory faded as Ophelia's image returned. "I...I do not know what she did to him, but...it seems as though...she has somehow found a way to acquire his gift." The image shook its head. "We...will not know for sure, however, until he wakes up."
"Well, then we need to wake him up. Idris...Idris, please..." She went back to shaking him, to calling out his name over and over looking for any response from him. Holding him tightly to her she began to rock him gently, no longer shaking him. Great sobs welled up inside of her as she held him, whispering his name over and over. She needed him to wake up, needed him to be okay. "You should have let her take my gift, Idris. You should have let her take mine and you would have been fine. You would have been fine if you had just let her do with me what she wanted. Idris..."
Idris felt his entire world spinning. It seemed to cyclone around him with a great centrifugal force. He groaned softly, and felt his eyes open slowly, barely. His head bobbed a little until his world slowly stopped spinning. He moaned softly and reached out, taking her arm as if to anchor himself. "Where...'s she...?" He managed, half mumbling, half slurring. "Rowen...?" His head still bobbed a little as his eyes rolled around in his head.
As she heard him speak her name, her heart leapt, and she broke out into a smile, her sobbing quieting. She allowed Ophelia to talk to him, until he finally opened his eyes and then...Confusion came across her face and she let out a little chuckle.
"Captain...concentrate...on the sound of my voice. Focus...You are in your living chambers...with Rowen and I. Take it slowly...and open your eyes if you can...so that we know you are alright..."
Idris nodded groggily. "Ophelia...what happened...to...her?"
The image shook its head. "Do not worry. You are not alone. Just focus on the sound of my voice...and waking up."
He groaned softly, slowly opening his eyes to look at her. He smiled delicately at Rowen. "I remember you..." He shut his eyes for a moment. "Pretty girl..."
"Of course you remember me, Idris. Of course you do. Are you alright? Oh my...you shouldn't have done that, Idris. You scared me half to death." She wrapped her arms around him tightly, placing a soft kiss on his lips, then her kiss moved up to his forehead. "I'm so glad you're awake, that you're talking...Hell, that you're breathing! I'm so glad."
He smiled at her, his eyes still closed. He chuckled softly. He opened his eyes to look at her. "'S okay. You...are alright. You...she didn't...she didn't get you? She let you go...then? Where...where is she...where did they go? What happened?"
"Yes, she...let me go. I can still make fire as far as I'm aware. Ophelia would have mentioned something. I woke up, and...I found you lying here."
"After she...whatever she did...you passed out on the floor, Captain. They left us and jettisoned Atalanta back out into space. We are adrift, I am afraid. Propulsion is still offline."
Idris wrinkled his forehead and groaned. "Good..." He opened his eyes to look at her. He smiled at her. "I don't know what we did afterward...Pretty Girl...but you've definitely got me worn out. I can barely move...so exhausted."
She frowned a little bit as he called her "pretty girl." "Idris, why are you calling me that? It's odd."
He smiled up at her, reaching out with his hand, touching her cheek. "Because you're pretty."
Laughing a little, she shook her head and stroked his hair lovingly. "Maybe we should get you in bed, I'll get you some tea...you need to rest before you get to work on the ship. Don't you agree?" Staring at him for a moment, she leaned down and placed another soft kiss on his forehead. "I'm so glad you're fine. I don't know what I would have done if I lost you."
He shut his eyes again and moaned softly. He pulled away from her and rolled over onto his stomach, slowly moving to his hands and knees before trying to stand. He looked over at her. "Will...you help me up?" He still looked groggy and worn out, his eyes barely managing to stay open for more than a few seconds at a time.
"Of course. Come here." She gently wrapped her arms around him and helped him to his feet. Once he was steady, she walked him slowly to his bed, gently laying him down. Carefully, she laid him down, covering him with the blanket, as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Is that better, Idris?" She began to stroke his hair again, watching him closely for any signs that something else was wrong. She knew she had to get up and leave him at some point, clean herself up. She could feel the dried blood still covering her temple, but right now all that mattered to her was Idris.
He looked up at her, frowning. He touched her head and pulled away his fingers. "Rowen! What...happened?!" He moved to sit up, very worried. Groggy and weak as he looked at her, his expression showed just how scared he was. "You're bleeding. What did she do to you?" He looked her over her. "We...need to get you cleaned up." He moved to stand up, taking her hand and forcing himself to stand, pulling on her with all his strength, but she could feel how weak he was, trembling as he tried to stay on his feet, the exertion great.
"Whoa...Idris. Stop, shhh. Shhh." Pressing her palms to his shoulders she gently began to push back him back onto the bed. She was stronger than him right now and she didn't find it difficult to do. "I'm fine. I hit my head on a wall, I'd be lucky if there wasn't a little bit of blood. Please stop worrying, I'm okay. Just a scratch. I'll clean it up, and I'll look fine. Okay?" Gently she worked him back down onto the bed, shaking her head a little bit. "I'm more worried about you, okay? You're the one who..." Biting down on her lower lip, she took a deep breath. "Stop worrying about me. Worrying about me is how you ended up like this, so please...just..." She tried to stop the tear filling her eyes. "...stop and rest. Please?"
He felt her overcome him, sitting on the bed, though he didn't want to. He looked at her, shaking his head. "No...no. I want to make sure you are alright. People often pass off head trauma as nothing...because they don't feel anything immediately. We...we need..." his eyes closed a moment and he took in a sharp breath, looking up at her. "We need to...make sure...that you're alright..." He shut his eyes a long moment and winced, his hand moving to the side of his head. He groaned a little and sighed. "And...I need to find out whoever is using the acoustic disruptor inside of my skull...and have them turn it off..."
He grunted softly and looked at her, trying to stay focused. "And I am...worried about you. What else would I need to worry about? You think I would..." He looked at her, his face falling into sadness. "You think I would give up my gifts...to save you...only to have you fall into a coma..."
"Wait...acoustic disruptor, what is that?"
"An acoustic disruptor: it's a...it uses the vibration in sound waves to break up large pieces of rock or debris."
She shook her head. "This isn't the first time I've been thrown around, and been knocked out, alright? Actually this way was a lot nicer than previous times. Please, SIT!" A tear fell down her face and she quickly bent her head to hide them, wiping at her face hurriedly. Slowly she spoke trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. "I wish you had just let her take mine, Idris...I can't stand to see you like this. I..." Her head lifted, as she moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around him. "You mean everything to me, Idris Chariton, and I'll be damned if I lose you, so please...just...stay lying down. I'll go and clean myself up. Please." Holding him gently, she let him go, moving back.
He shook his head. "And better I than you...I wouldn't be able to bear it if she had...taken...it away from you." His shoulders fell and he shut his eyes, the tears rolling down his face. "It's better this way. You're...she didn't get a chance...to taste you...and...you'll..." He grunted, shutting his eyes. It was so hard to sit up...so hard to talk for so long. "If your head injury is as trivial as you say...then you'll be alright...able to fend for yourself, should you ever need to." He rocked a little, his eyes closing. He wanted so badly to get out of bed and accompany her. "Are you sure...you don't...need...help. I...I don't want...anything else to happen to you...for you to get hurt." He reached back for the bed and lied down again, his eyes having so much trouble staying open.
"Idris. I would have never asked you to give up your gifts. What good have mine ever done me, hm? Maybe she would have been doing me a favor." A half-hearted, bitter chuckle escaped her lips and she looked away from him. "I'd have been normal and you wouldn't be so weak." Quietly, she leaned to place a soft kiss on his forehead. "Rest, Love, and I'll clean up. Please...just promise me you'll wake up again. And when you do, I'll bring you food and something to drink and...we'll try to make this better. Just promise." Sighing heavily, she watched him lay back down, and gently grabbed the blanket to cover him with again.
He grunted softly, his eyes closing as he submitted and decided to rest. "Just...please...come back to me..." He whimpered a little, and finally drifted off to sleep.
"I promise." She whispered, watching him drift off to sleep.
"He appears to be in good health, Mistress. When he wakes up, however, we should get him to the medical bay in the ring corridor and make sure that that is no underlying damage. The transition of power has apparently left him very weak...but he should recover. Think of it as though you had just sprinted for twenty-five kilometers...with no breaks. How might you feel?" The image was on the bed, next to him, looking up at her. "And we should take a look at your head. He is correct. Many humans often pass off head trauma as little to nothing. But if you are bleeding, you should absolutely get some readings to check for underlying injuries."
Even as Ophelia spoke to her, her eyes remained on Idris. She still couldn't believe what he had given up for her, just to keep her safe. Before she began to cry again, she focused on Ophelia. "Fine, Ophelia, let's go get my head looked at. Ring corridor you said?" Standing up slowly, she began to walk out of the bedroom, reluctantly, wincing as she felt her headache grow stronger. Making her way around the corner, following the image. As she approached. The wall opened up on her left, moving to reveal the space behind. There was a cot, a sink, and supplies from about Rowen's waist up to as high as she could reach.
"Ophelia, where would you like me for my readings?" She asked as she ran the water, washing the blood from her head. She grabbed a bandage and watched as it seem to soak up the blood rather quickly.
"Over here, Mistress." The image beckoned, standing on the side of the bed. "Lie down here so that my scanners can look you over and make sure that you are otherwise alright."
Rowen looked over at the flat bed, looking a little uneasy about it. It was about waist height from the floor. It was extremely meager, just a two inch piece of foam on top of a plasteel slab. Well, she didn't like doctors, so what? Tossing the bloody bandage away, she walked over to the table, and slowly eased herself down onto it. "I'm sure it's just a headache, Ophelia. I've got a bit of a scratch." She reached up to check if her head was still bleeding. Just a little, she noted, probably from rubbing at it. Closing her eyes, she waited for Ophelia to begin her scan.
An arm extended out of the wall on her right, and starting at her feet, moving up slowly to her head, the empty semicircle, two small extensions that were reminiscent of pincers, projected an azure beam of light, a line that crossed perpendicular to her form. The blue line moved up to her neck, extending slowly towards her head. "Close your eyes, Mistress. The scanner isn't harmful, but it's rather bright in your eyes." The machine waited, and then extended over her head, the pincers swung around 180 degrees when they reached her scalp, moving down over her forehead again. The machine stopped, the line changing to a square, centering over her head wound. A monitor pushed out of the wall near her feet and then extended out on a short, hinged arm, showing her the screen. It projected the picture of her body and then zoomed in on her head. It showed how far down the bruising and the laceration went. It fell millimeters short of her skull.
"You appear to be alright. I think once Captain Chariton is alert enough, you should have him bandage you properly. For now, just take the cold compress-" the arms connected to both the scanner and the monitor receded into the wall and a different space opened, a small arm extending and reaching out towards her, a white pack in its finger-like prongs, "-and hold it to your wound to slow the bleeding and impede any further bruising from forming." She'd wait for her to get off the bed before it would retract back into the wall, the image standing on an imaginary platform near where the monitor had extended, the projection at eye level as it looked at her.
"So I'm fine? Like I said." Making a bit of a face, she knew it was best to have taken this precaution, than to be sorry. Idris needed her right now. "Thank you, Ophelia, for the check up. I'll just temporarily bandage myself up and wait until Idris is stronger to bother him with this scratch."Laughing a bit, she got up off the table to grab a bandage. Walking to the nearest mirror. Guilt began to wash over her and she quickly finished repairing her temple, taking a step back to make sure it'd stay secure. "I'm going back to check on him." She whispered and began to walk back towards the bedroom.
Idris still lied in his bed, not having stirred in the slightest in her absence. He was on his left side, his arms held close, though there was nothing to hold onto. We're it not for his steady breathing, he would have otherwise appeared dead to the world.
She paused at the doorway, staring at Idris for a very long moment, watching his chest rise and fall. It broke her heart to know that he was so helpless, that he was so weak. "Ophelia." She spoke softly so that she wouldn't disturb Idris. "Are you aware of any way to...give him his powers back? Even if I had to steal them back from the woman who took them?" It was perhaps a terrible idea that was crossing her mind, but she was curious more than anything. Idris would kill her if he knew that she was even thinking about it, but it couldn't be helped.
To my knowledge, I am not aware of any method by which you could 'steal' his power back from her and eventually return them to him. I think...the...woman...just has a...an ability, I suppose, to do so. I guess it would be what you might call 'unique.' But the short answer is 'no.' I am afraid not."
"Thank you, Ophelia. I'm going to rest also, if you don't mind. Um...if you would do me a favor, please wake me if I don't wake when Idris does. I want to make sure I'm with him at all times until he's better." Sighing heavily, she dragged herself over to the bed, slowly lying down beside him. Gently, trying not to disturb him, she curled up as close to him as possible, placing a hand on top of his chest, feeling his gentle steady heart beat beneath. Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath and began to drift off to sleep, praying that Idris would be alright.
Instinctively, when she got closer, his arms reached out, and with an unexpected strength, pulled her back and shoulder blades against his chest. His chin rested near her shoulder, but he otherwise didn't stir, his sleep undisturbed. She smiled as Idris grabbed her, pulling her to him just by his sheer instinct. He continued to lie there, completely asleep, holding her closer.
"I will...wake you, should Idris fail to do so, when he wakes up. However, I should warn you...eventually our propulsion failure will need to be addressed. For now, we're in a distant orbit, unlikely to fall into any harm...but should the Delethirians get any second thoughts and return...I fear the situation would be far worse than before."
"Yes of course, Ophelia. If we have to, I'll try and fix it myself. But like you said, Idris should be better soon." And then she was silent sighing again, as she got comfortable, and began to fall asleep. It was such a comfort to feel him there holding her. Especially after she had come so close to losing him.
Idris rested for a long time, sleeping for what felt like months.
When he stirred, he still felt a little groggy, but he did feel as though he had the strength to walk. When Ophelia appeared next to the bed, Idris motioned at her. He put a finger to his lips, something Ophelia...though it had taken her a very long time to learn how to...interpreted as a signal to be silent.
Her voice was only audible to Idris. "But Mistress Rowen instructed me to wake her when you were alert again."
"Well, 'alert' and 'awake' are both relative terms. And I am overruling her. Blame me when she says something to you about it, but don't you DARE do anything to disturb her."
The image nodded and disappeared. Idris slowly moved out of the bed and snuck away from her. He looked over himself and frowned. He felt sore in some places, weak in others. Despite his handicaps, he managed to walk into the refresher chamber. He stepped into the unit and let the cold water run over him. He shivered beneath it, letting the numbness overtake him. His teeth were clicking together as he stepped out of the shower. He looked in the mirror and checked to be sure he had no outward injuries. Then he went back to the shower and took as hot a shower as his body could handle. He rinsed his hair, body, face, and everything...as thoroughly as his fatigue would allow. He then dried and went back into the room, without a towel, trying to remain as quiet as possible.
"Captain."
Idris glared at her, putting a finger to his lips without saying a word.
Her voice dropped again. "Propulsion is offline. We are currently in a safe orbit, but I recommend that you affect repairs in case we should need to leave the system in the next 350 solar cycles."
Idris nodded at her, and began to dress.
Rowen stirred as she heard Ophelia that second time, talking about...propulsion, was it? Her groggy brain couldn't process fully. A smile began to play over her face as she slowly sat up, wincing at the headache she still had.
When he heard her stirring, he winced, and then scowled at Ophelia. "You FAIL." He mouthed silently at her, very irritated. He'd hoped to be able to shower, dress, eat, and fix the ship ALL before Rowen was even thinking about being awake. He didn't want her worrying about him or feeling unnecessarily burdened while he was working. What's more, he didn't want her to go insane with boredom or feel compelled to distract him while he was bringing Atalanta back online. Not that he would have disliked her distractions, but he was worried more about her safety.
"How long have you been up, Love? And...why didn't Ophelia wake me? I wanted to be sure that you were fit to get out of bed. And...you showered. I could have helped with that." She gave a look quickly before he could make a smart remark. "In a very platonic way, in which my only goal would to make sure you were clean and not straining yourself."
He paused as she spoke, but only for a moment, before he moved to finish dressing. Quickly, she stood from the bed before he could stop her, giving her body a little stretch. He then moved, turning to her, his hands on her shoulders. With a renewed strength she'd not expect, he'd help her sit back on the bed. He pointed at her. "You need to stop worrying about me. You're the one with the head injury. You should be resting, young lady." He peered down at her and peeled away the bandage, looking at her wound. He grimaced and shook his head. "We should get that looked at and make sure it's not as BAD as it looks..."
Giving him a sour look as he sat her back down, she rolled her eyes. "This head injury? Does it really look that bad? It's a scratch. Ophelia checked it out in the medical bay, right, Ophelia? All she said was to have you bandage it a little better and I'll live. So please let me stand now, Idris, I'm fine." She gave him a sharp look that clearly said "don't order me to go back to sleep or I will bite your head off," and began to stand. "And I get to worry about you. You're the one who...well you...you were so weak, and that means I get to worry about the man I...the man I...got...into this mess." Cheeks flushed suddenly and she gently pushed him to the side as she moved around him. "Look, I'll be good. I'll take a shower, get dressed, and you can bandage my pretty little head, and then...I'll just sit around. Eat something, help you with Atalanta."
"Or..." He said softly, reaching out and taking her wrists. He pulled her close to him and leaned in, kissing her deeply on the lips, holding her there for a long time. He decided if she was awake enough to start with her lip, and being overly worried and maternal, then she was certainly awake enough to kiss him.
Rowen smiled as he pulled her right into him, melting right into him as he began to kiss her. Arms wrapped around him immediately, her lips moving against his. When she felt he had been good and kissed, she gently pulled away, feeling a little out of breath. "I think I liked the 'or' better. Just in my own personal opinion."
He smiled at her and leaned in for a quick kiss, gently pressing his lips to hers for just a moment before pulling away. He looked down at her. "I like the 'or' option as well. However, you still get to stay here and rest. Or, I can drag you into the refresher and make sure you are all good and clean...and stuff." He grinned at her, that clever, devilish grin. "Then we'll change your bandage, clean your wound...because it's not just a cut...and you can go back to sleep while I get the engines fixed. Or..."
He moved closer to her, his breath gentle on her skin as his lips leaned up to her ear, his hand pulling her back against his chest. He nibbled on her lobe, holding her firmly.
Shivering as he nibbled her ear lobe, she had to force herself to take a step away from him. "Alright how about this...no wait, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to shower...without you, and then you can take care of my wound, which is not a just a cut to you, but a scratch to me, and then you will fix the engines while I eat...and maybe hover. So..." Clearing her throat gently she looked him up and down, resisting the urges she felt, but she knew that now was not the time. "You're still weak, still should be watched and we won't be...doing... Alright? And if we do, I'll just be even more annoying and worried and... So. Refresher." She gave him a warning look as she moved around him and hurried into the refresher, starting the shower up immediately. She sighed as the heated water touched her skin, and she winced just a bit when the water pressure pressed at her head wound. It would be fine, she figured, and shrugged it off, grabbing for soap to begin to work through her hair.
He wanted to go after her, and even as he stood there, he could not pinpoint the force holding him at bay. He sighed and sat on the bed, deciding to wait for her. He shut his eyes and lied perpendicular across the bed. He dozed for the few minutes it took before Rowen had finished her shower. He still felt extremely tired, but simultaneously, he did not want to sleep. When she came back into the living quarters, he started to stir. He looked up to see her there, wrapped in a towel and looking for her clothes. He sat up, looking at her, watching as she searched around with her back to him. Then he noticed something that alarmed him. He stood off the bed and moved behind her, his fingers reaching out and gently touching the lines on her back.
Rowen let him touch her back, but suddenly, her mind went to her whip markings. She had never thought of them until now. Wincing, she looked down at the tiled floor. "I was found out when working at a small inn on Verin. I was using my gift to light candles when my boss walked in on me. He dragged me out into the streets, started screaming at me until they came and arrested me. They wanted to know where others like me were and when I wouldn't talk...when I tried to light them on fire and escape...They tied me up, whipped me...over...and over..." Eyes shut at the memory and she took a deep shaky breath.
He shut his eyes a long moment, looking over the marks, his fingers delicately tracing over them. "I wish I had been there..." He paused for a long moment. "After...she...died...I found...I discovered my powers...by accident. I was at a tavern on the capital world...and one of the waitresses went to hand me my drink, and it went flying out of her hand...it...it didn't end very well for me, but...I survived...and...I do not have any scars to show for it." He kissed the back of her neck. "Your situation bears much more tragic circumstances. Humans...they are not forgiving, and they are, by nature, terrified of what they do not or cannot understand..." He then turned her to face him, slowly, and leaned in and kissed her. "I promise, Rowen...I'll keep you safe, as much as I can. But, I am afraid that if the harvesters come looking for you, there will be little I can do in my current state, especially with the degree of power they've seemed to have acquired."
"The whipping is only...the beginning of what my life has been. If you think this is bad..." She chuckled, bitterness edging it as she looked back down, away from him, almost as if ashamed. "I know you will do your best to keep me safe, Idris, but...you're right. Those harvesters could very well come back and...take my gifts. Worrying about it at this moment, however...will do nothing for us." She turned around to face him again. Reaching up, she caressed his face gently for a moment, studying him, his features, looking into his eyes. "Besides...what does not kill us only makes us stronger. Isn't that right?" Another hard chuckle and she gently turned him so she could begin to rub his back.
His back tensed as he bristled. He let her turn him around, and shivered with the feel of her fingers on his back. He couldn't remember when he'd had someone so gentle touch his back, but he had a hard time imagining that it might have been as good as she was. "Heh. Unless it does kill you...then it doesn't do much to increase your strength. It's ok...next time...NEXT time," he emphasized, "I shall not be so helpless. If the harvesters want a fight...I will give them a fight."
"And so will I. I think we've learned that locking me up doesn't work. They'll find me. Idris...please...if they return. You don't have anything more to offer them." Except his life. The thought chilled her to the bone and her hands froze on his back for a moment.
He stopped and looked at her. "Atalanta has two more escape pods inside of it. I am going to have antispace window generators installed in the pods. If they should attack us again, you will NOT be here. I'll put you in the escape pods and you'll be transported to a preprogrammed destination. After I have defeated them, I'll come and get you." And if I don't survive, seeing as I've no other option, I'll have SI pick you up. He wanted to tell her, but he wasn't about to get her worrying again.
She didn't like the idea of leaving the ship without him, but she obliged, not saying anything in return. "Come on, Love, let's go. Don't you want to patch up me head?" Arching an eyebrow at him, she waited for his response.
He stopped, his expression changing dramatically. His gaze looked out of the corner of his eyes, his lips pursing thoughtfully. "Well..." He blinked a few times, unsure as to how to respond, torn between his desire to be frivolous and his sense of responsibility for her. "I...I think...we should..." He paused a long moment, his mouth slightly opened as he tried to think of something witty to throw back at her. "I think we should...get...you all...dried off, and then...patch up your head." He nodded slowly, and then more determined, his voice matter-of-fact as he looked at her, still filled with doubt and feelings of unsurety.
"Well if that's what you want to do, then we'll do that. Come on." Leaning forward, she stole a quick kiss and stepped away from him.
"You do realize that if we manage to get anything done, it is going to be a very boring day." He seemed a little concerned by this, but not as much as his voice indicated.
"It's alright. I can entertain myself. I want Atalanta to be your first priority today, Idris. You need her up and running. I can take care of myself, don't worry." Feeling as if she was dry enough, she removed the towel and tossed it over to him, covering his head successfully. She then moved to where she had been keeping her clean clothes. "You ripped one of my shirts." She commented over her shoulder as she pulled her pants on, choosing once again to go through his clothing looking for a shirt that would fit her. "If I'm going to be living here, I'm going to have to buy myself new clothes.
He scoffed. "I doubt that. We'll get you whatever clothes you need when we get to where we are going." He sighed, and looked around. He was going to have to tell her eventually, about everything, but he didn't want to spoil the mood at the moment. They were obviously not going to Baramasta, at least not yet. He was going to have to pay for the stolen creature eventually. "Feel free to wear my clothes in the mean time."