Beyond the Stars (45 page)

We arrived at Urit’s modest log home. It was small and cabinlike. I asked Gaelan if Urit was well paid for all of his amazing medical contributions. He laughed. “Why? Because he lives in a shack?” he said, understanding the meaning behind my question.

“Yeah,” I answered, despite sounding a little judgmental.

“Urit has more money than he could
ever
spend, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Oh, I wasn’t sure.”

“He spends everything he earns on supplies for his experiments. I’ve seen him trade sickening sums of money for minute amounts of rare ingredients or bizarre trinkets. He’s not materialistic when it comes to normal things. He yearns for something bigger. He wants answers, solutions to life’s biggest problems.” We walked up the worn dirt path leading up to the house. Gaelan knocked on the red wooden door.

“Oh, hello,” answered a pretty woman. It must have been Urit’s daughter.

“Nia,” Gaelan said with a smile. She gave Gaelan a friendly nod hello.

“You must be Sam,” she greeted me kindly.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you,” I replied. She opened the door widely and ushered us inside.

Nia was beautiful. She had long, wavy, dark auburn hair carelessly pulled back in a clip, green-blue eyes, and a flowing semi-fitted long pink dress. She was adorned with several long, eclectic necklaces and sandals. She would fit in perfectly if she were attending a party on the beach.

The home mirrored Nia’s relaxed style. I smiled when I instantly spotted what looked like a knitting basket in the corner. We stepped across the creaky, worn, wooded floor into the overcrowded room. The place seemed to function as a lab, living room, and kitchen all in one. Four large, overstuffed chairs covered in mismatched fabric and a round wooden table filled the living room. Directly behind it sat the kitchen. Its entire back wall was made of several windows, providing a view overlooking the lake. They filled the room with natural light and let in a light breeze, swaying the curtains and the wrought iron ceiling rack that hung directly above the metal countertop holding large pots and blue mugs. The greater part of the room was a full-blown lab. It had classroom-sized drawing boards hanging on the walls, tables covered with beakers under aquarium lights, and large machinery possibly used for scanning or producing things. I studied the equations written on the drawing boards to search for familiarity, but they were meaningless to me. I carefully entered the room so I wouldn’t trip, break, or bump into something.

“Sam, Gaelan, any luck with the verdict?” Urit asked, coming around the corner.

“Nope,” Gaelan answered bluntly. There was no explanation needed. His voice rang with sadness.

“I’m sorry,” Urit said with sincerity.

“Thanks for all your help,” Gaelan said graciously. “Some help,” Urit said in a serious voice. “I was hoping that the council would have come to their senses by now and we could all be carelessly on our way as soon as possible.”

Gaelan looked suspiciously at Urit. “Is there a problem I’m not aware of?” he asked.

“We’ve run into a minor complication with the tracer,” Urit explained with a frown. “We were contacted by Spaceport this morning to see if we knew a reason for the Dreon ship in our vicinity. They tracked a laser signal from them to our coordinates. Of course, we played dumb. Luckily, the Dreons claimed it was a misfire of their communication system and left on their own when Spaceport started questioning them. I just hope they’re gone for good. Anyway, our good fortune didn’t end there. Jed is the one who made the call,” he said with a look of relief.

“Who’s Jed?” I asked.

“My friend,” Nia answered. “We work together when I visit Spaceport. He said he wouldn’t report the news to the council since there was no threat of harm—out of professional courtesy. Jed likes to keep Spaceport matters on the station if he can,” she explained.

Gaelan rubbed the corners of his mouth as he thought. “Great. They’ve come back to get what’s theirs.”

Nia interjected, “I can see why. The device has the most advanced relay-based software I’ve ever seen. It seems to be equipped with microprocessors capable of monitoring
everything
: visual, auditory, sensory, and spatial position. I am trying to figure out a way to decipher the information it gathers in order to control the instrument and reverse its maneuvers. But it won’t be easy. It’s a highly sophisticated supercomputer. It’s even equipped with its own neural processor or tiny brain. It might be used to create the delusions the Dreons are known for. It’s probably watching us right now,” she joked. “No, don’t worry. It appears to go into sleep mode and only comes to life every two hours. Then, it lights up for two minutes and fifteen seconds. A strong electromagnetic signal is released at the same time. I think it must beam information back to the Dreons. I am surprised that it can operate at such a horrifyingly far range. The device’s internal guidance system and teleportation components seem so powerful, they might even be able to teleport someone off a nearby planet with it.”

“I don’t think it’s quite
that
strong, Nia,” Urit said to her.

Nia shrugged. “I guess you’re right. Maybe I’m being paranoid. But either way, it’s far more powerful than I’d originally anticipated. And the thing nearly scared me to death when it came to life at an unscheduled time. I was in the middle of dissecting it to determine its capabilities when the Dreon ship came into our airspace. I had it all in pieces, sprawled out across my workspace. Without warning, the parts levitated off the table, selfaligned, and snapped together!” she said with widened eyes.

Urit scratched his head. “That’s right when we received the call from Spaceport,” he explained, “informing us of the Dreon’s signal. I was still on the communicator when the device started spinning and lighting up the whole room. I hurriedly brought the communicator outside to finish my conversation while pretending to look for the laser beam. I thought we were done for.”

Nia sat down on a chair in front of a table with the tracer in front of her. It was now completely clean of the red rubber substance Urit had used to disguise it while on board. She had it positioned in front of her workspace on a small, lighted platform, making it look like a precious lost treasure. “Come here. You have to see this.” She waved her hand, summoning us to join her. “Watch,” she said. She leaned down across the table in front of the ball to blow her breath slowly over the device. The tiny, shiny ball lit up with a brilliant glowing orange light.

“Whoa, fascinating,” I said, peering over her shoulder. It looked like a little ball of fire. It quickly returned to its solid, non-glowing, metallic finish when she stopped. Nia smiled, seeming pleased in sharing her discovery.

“So, it’s sensitive to changes in temperature?” Gaelan asked, sounding intrigued.

“Yes. Probably registers body heat. I’ll find out after I take it all apart,
again
.” She disappointingly leaned back in her chair.

Urit gave her a compassionate look. “Hey, you’ve already learned more about their tracers than anyone else has in the past. Be patient, my dear; you’ll get it done,” he encouraged her. He had to be the most patient, supportive man I’d ever known.

***

We spent the rest of the evening with Gaelan’s family. It was unexpectedly enjoyable. No one wanted to ruin their limited time together by complaining. The family bantered playfully around the dining table, truly enjoying each other’s company. They each possessed a charismatic wit of their own. The room was filled with laughter. It was delightful to watch. It was as though nothing could suppress their love for one another. I was sure I hadn’t laughed that much at a family gathering since my parents were alive. It made me miss Jackson and Leah more than ever. I wished they were here. They would fit in perfectly with Gaelan’s family.

I felt torn when thinking about leaving Kataria without Gaelan. Just the thought of the return trip home without him would be torture. The agenda outlining the ship’s next voyage to and from Earth had the ship scheduled to return in two years. At least it wasn’t forever. We all waited patiently for the
one
verdict that would reinstate Gaelan’s flight privileges before the evening’s end. It didn’t happen. We were out of time. The ship was set to depart the next morning.

I told Gaelan of my plans to return home later that night. He told me he already knew. It had to be one of the hardest decisions in my life. He embraced me while we lay on his bed and gazed up at the constellations shining through the large wall of windows. The stars were much brighter here and gave off a soft, golden color that was visible with the naked eye. I imagined that their atmosphere was to blame, because everything seemed to have a yellow glow here. It was so peaceful lying beside him. It was a moment I would remember forever. It was, however, bittersweet since we both knew our time together was running out. Letting go was never easy for me. Part of me wanted to love him with all my soul—while another felt as though I should be weaning myself from him to ease the pain of my inevitable heartbreak.

“You’re leaving tomorrow.” Gaelan sat straight up in bed, sounding panic-stricken when he realized how relaxed we had become.

“I’m sorry.” I exhaled breathlessly while I sat up next to him. “Are you mad at me?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I could never be angry with you. How could I be? Beautiful, intelligent, magnificent woman that you are,” he said gently while he stroked my arm.

“Hmmm, I don’t want to go so soon.”

“We can’t waste this time sleeping. Every minute with you is precious. I don’t know how long it will be before I can see you again,” he declared passionately.

“Listen,” I pleaded. “You better not make it too long.”

“I won’t,” he promised, but his face looked wounded by uncertainly. He stared at my face for an extended period of time. It seemed like he was trying to memorize it in case it was the last time he’d see me.

“I will sneak you aboard and hide you under the bed,” I offered.

“Tempting,” he mused.

“Yes, you want to try it?” I jested.

“I would be willing to break every rule for you despite the consequences. Unfortunately, I’m probably going to be escorted to and from the launch pad tomorrow with armed guards. I’d rather not get shot.”

“It’s not fair,” I moaned.

“We will survive.
Trust me
. Unscheduled trips occur all the time. We didn’t plan on returning home on this trip, but here we are.”

“True.”

“Besides, I think my friends will find some excuse to travel back before two years go by. I will get back to you, I promise.”

We rested back down on the bed facing one another. He pulled me to him and ran his fingers through the back of my long hair and down my spine. It not only felt fantastic—but incredibly different. I touched the bracelet on my wrist and wondered if it was to blame. It couldn’t be my imagination. This had to be what he meant when he said it would strengthen our connection. I felt extremely aware of his body next to mine. Every touch seemed to take on a heightened intensity. I let him explore my body freely while I relished his touch. He slid his hand up and down my legs, carefully slowing over every curve. I thought I’d explode in pleasure. He knew exactly how to touch me. Each stroke made me want him more. He didn’t disappoint. He leaned up and gently kissed my neck before following an imaginary line down my side. I took the opportunity to glide my fingertips across his back, trying to savor every flexing muscle. Making love with this level of emotional bond was euphoric. There were no words to describe how badly I would miss him.

We talked and kissed for hours. Although I didn’t want to lose one precious moment with him, I couldn’t help falling asleep. It was already daylight when I awoke. Where did the night go? I opened my eyes to the bright morning sunlight coming through the large uncovered windows. My eyes squinted to see Gaelan’s silhouette painting beside the bed with his chair and easel. He was glancing back and forth between his canvas and me.

I sat up. “What are you doing?” I asked, puzzled. “Come and see. It is my first portrait of a person.” He grinned. “You are beautiful when you are sleeping. You look so peaceful.” I slipped out of the sheets and got up to look.

“I can’t believe it.” I was stunned when I looked at the lovely painting he had made of me. It was glowing and soft-looking. The picture gave me the same surprised feeling I had if someone showed me a good photo of myself. Usually, I hated to see myself in pictures, but this was a very complimentary angle. “Is that
how
you see me?” I asked in disbelief.

“
Yes
, but you are much better in person.” He pulled me in sideways by the waist, remaining seated in his chair.

“That’s funny. I always sleep on my right side,” I said, gazing at the painting.

“I know. I’ve had this image in my mind for some time now,” he admitted.

“You’re killing me. Could you make this any harder?” I felt weak and lost my balance for a minute. He held me up.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

“Yes, I just got dizzy.” My emotions felt out of control. I think I forgot how to breathe.

“I hate letting you go, but I won’t have you miss out on your life because of me,” he whispered. “I will not hold you back. I will love you for the rest of my life.” It sounded final, as though it might be forever.