Nash: Trekkers (A SciFi Alien Human Military Romance) (6 page)

“
S
o do
you have to go and make any rounds?” She asked as she drew circles over the tattoos on his chest.

“You’re my only mission.”

She giggled. “You’re sweet for saying that, but really, do you have to get back to work?”

“No I meant what I said about you being my mission. The commander told me that I had to keep an eye on you, and keep you comfortable. Are you comfortable? Or do you need me to find another way to relax you?”

He playfully bit into her shoulder. “I think I’m good for now, thanks. We’ve been comfortable all day. So the commander really thinks that whatever is inside of me is important enough to take one of his best lieutenants away from their post? What do you think?”

He shrugged. “I think that there is information about the plague on there. Maybe even about how it all started. But I’m not sure that that’s worth exploring, not when the plague is practically dead.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “The plague is not dead. I used to hear about it all the time in the bar, those outlying planets? Some of them still have it.”

Nash sat up abruptly. “I’ve been to most of the outer planets, none of them have the sickness anymore.”

“You’ve been to the outer rim? I thought the Alliance couldn’t go that far. Not even the Trekkers. Most of you can’t survive out there.”

He shook his head at her. “We have all the latest technologies, I put on a different type of suit and I can go anywhere.”

“So you’ve been to Khmer then?”

He set his lips into a thin line and she had her answer. “I didn’t think so. Most of the planet is underwater and it’s toxic. No one can get out there.”

“Then how did the sickness survive? It was airborne. How would water dwellers even get it?”

“It was airborne when it started Nash, it’s changed since then. It’s constantly evolving. Lazio was always monitoring it. He was afraid that some of his traders would get it and bring it back to the bar.”

“You’re sure about this. Ellora if I take this to my commander and you’re wrong we’ll both be off the ship.”

She sat up fully and pulled a thin blanket across her body. “Of course I’m sure. My family died of the plague, I was one of the only ones who survived on my planet.”

“What?” He asked as his mouth dropped open a little. “Are you telling me that you’re immune?”

She shrugged. “I guess. I’ve never really thought about it that way, why? I mean I told you before they all died.”

“You said your family died, not everyone. I just assumed you weren’t home when it happened. I didn’t realize you were immune.”

Suddenly Nash was throwing her clothes at her. “There’s a reason that Lazio put that microchip inside of you, we need to talk to the commander to find out exactly why.”

Ellora quickly threw the dress over her body and Nash hardly seemed to notice as he reached for the button behind her. But then he leaned down he whispered into her ear, “We’re going to figure this out Ellora. I promise.”

She nodded to him, whatever it was that he was thinking, she realized she was a lot more danger than she originally understood.

“
C
ommander
, I would like to talk to your office privately please,” Nash said as he saluted the commander on the bridge.

“Is there something wrong lieutenant?”

The commander looked around Nash and saw Ellora standing behind him. Nash moved over to block his view, he knew that it was a defiant move, but he needed the commander to understand how serious he was. “Yes Sir, a very large problem.”

The commander nodded and turned on his heel and walked towards his office. Ellora and Nash followed solemnly. Nash couldn’t believe that Ellora was completely immune. He had never heard of anyone before this whose planet had been ravaged by the plague so terribly and yet they had survived. She was special, and possibly not just to him. Now that they had consummated their relationship they were mated. As long as the galaxy continued to flow and move so would their feelings for one another.

The metal door shut behind them and pulled Nash out of his thoughts. He knew now why Lazio had put the microchip inside of Ellora, he had more information than anyone else on the vessel did about this incredible girl.

“Commander, permission to speak freely in front of the civilian.”

The commander sat down in his old chair and splayed his hands out in front of him. “Of course, sit.”

Ellora sat down but Nash stayed standing.

“Thank you commander,” she said quietly.

“I can’t sit. I can’t do anything until we get her off of the ship.”

The commander raised an eyebrow at Nash. “I’m sorry? She’s not going anywhere until we figure out what’s on the microchip.”

“I know exactly what’s on the microchip. And I know why it’s inside of her body.” He looked at Ellora, “Tell him what you told me about your planet.”

Ellora looked down at her hands. “My family died from the plague, all of them. We were a fairly small colony, one of the resettlements from Earth. I was born on a space station. When the plague hit no one survived, no one but me.”

Nash saw the realization dawn the commander immediately. “You’re immune?”

She shrugged, “I guess. That’s what Nash said too. I’ve never heard anyone refer to me that way before. I mean I always just assumed everyone else died, maybe they didn’t, maybe some of them survived,” she commented hopefully. But the commander and Nash both knew that there were many planets that had been completely wiped out. If there had been other survivors, Ellora would’ve known about them.

“Immune…” The commander said sitting back in his chair. He took off his black gloves and stroked his beard thoughtfully. Nash didn’t wait for him to come to his own conclusion.

“Sir, I believe that microchip has every name of every immune person in the galaxy on it. Lazio put it inside of her once he realized that she was immune. I wonder if he even read it, he probably just saw the list of names and immediately realized that they could’ve been the immune people. We know how connected Lazio is, he may even know how this all started. I also think this may not have been someone targeting humans, this may have been humans going after their own kind. As long as that chip is inside of her, and has that list on it, she isn’t safe here. She’s putting the whole ship at risk now that Lazio knows we have her.”

“You have a point Nash, but I also tend to disagree, the strongest fighters in the galaxy are aboard this ship. Unless you are struggling to trust your fellow Trekker?”

Nash shook his head and began to pace. “No. It’s not that. I just believe that someone evil enough to cull the galaxy knew that there would be immune. Perhaps they even made the plague to spare themselves and others like them. At some point they’re going to want all those people together, start their own colony maybe. And while I think that Ellora is my equal some other species on the ship will disagree with me. They might sell her out. You know how quickly word travels on this ship. Many people already know what she may be carrying, we can’t risk anymore finding out.”

The commander leaned forward placing his hands on his desk. Ellora’s lip trembled as she looked up at Nash. “So what are you going to do to me?”

“Yes son, what are you going to do?” Nash could already see the gleam in the older man’s eye. He knew exactly what Nash had planned.

“I want to take a pod to one of the smaller planets. Somewhere in the outer rim where no one will know who we are. Set up a life there, live out our days together.” He looked down to Ellora, “I’ll always protect you, my life depends on it.”

The three of them were frozen into silence for a moment before Ellora sighed heavily. “Sir?” She said turning towards the commander.

“Yes?”

“You told Nash about mates. About how you find that one person and somehow you just know that you’re meant to be together. As humans we called love at first sight, but I have to tell you that when I look at Nash I know that this is forever. I trust him fully. I know when he says that he’ll do anything to protect me, he will. And as long as I live and this chip is inside me I promise to live my life in a way that protects it. I’ll be extra careful, like Nash said we can set up a homestead somewhere primitive. I’d rather keep this horrible list away from whoever created it. I don’t want them coming back for round two. I don’t want to be one of the only people to survive.” She stood and took Nash’s hands within her own. “Nash wouldn’t survive the plague if it came around again. And I don’t want to live without him.”

“If they came around again?” Nash asked. “But you said people say it’s still out there.”

The commander stood at this. “The plague still exists?”

She nodded carefully. “I know that there are some planets that are totally cured of it. Places where you gave the vaccine. But yes the plague still exists. It’s morphed into something else, some people are surviving it. But what’s left of them is horrible and nothing close to human.”

“Another species?” The commander asked her.

She let go of Nash’s hands. “Most of them are not surviving Sir, the ones that do? Yes, you might consider them a new species. But I don’t know why, I’ve only put together little pieces of what I’ve heard from Pirates and Alliance members from all over the galaxy. Besides they’re always divulging that kind of information after a couple drinks. All I know is that space is not as safe as we all thought.”

Nash looked to the commander, he knew that by abandoning his post on the Titan in order to spend the rest of his life with Ellora was a risk. The men on the ship had taken care of him in the worst times over the past four years. He had been nothing more than a Pirate himself before he had been swept up by the Alliance and offered a job as a Trekker. He was a heavy gambler, he had frequented Lazio’s bars in his other life. Playing cards and losing all his money. Stealing and drinking. It wasn’t a life. He was merely existing before he came aboard the Titan. The Trekkers had taken him in and trained him to be a skilled warrior. Could he turn his back on his people? His commander who wanted to one day give him this ship?

As he looked into Ellora’s big brown eyes he knew the truth. By keeping her safe he was protecting them just as much as he was putting his own heart above the mission. Suddenly everything in his life was equal, but Ellora would now always be his number one priority.

“You have my permission. But I want reports, updates about your life. Things that you see and hear in the outer rim. We have very few outposts, but there are people you will be able to check in with. Have open discussions with them about the plague, and any rumors that they may think that they hear. Eventually we will find the person behind all of this, and when we do Nash, I hope that you will be there to see the end of them.”

Nash dipped his head at his commander, “It would be the highest honor Sir.”

As Nash lifted his head he saw a smile cross the commander’s face. “I’ll miss you son, but take good care of yourself. And good care of your family too.”

Nash reached down and took Ellora’s hand in his own, they interlaced their fingers and Nash extended his left arm to the commander. The commander crossed his forearm with Nash’s. Nash’s mission was complete. Now he would just spend the rest of his life living it.

“
N
ash
! Come in for dinner!”

Ellora stood on the covered porch in the front of their cabin. She wrapped her shawl tighter around her as she felt the cool breeze in the air. She looked over the mountainside and saw the rolling green grass in front of her that led down to the stream where they got their water from every day. Her life had become so different in the past year. Since she and Nash had left the Titan they had monthly meetings with other Trekkers on the outposts. For the most part the plague issue had become dormant, a conversation that no one seemed to be having. But Ellora knew better. People were still talking about it, just not the people that she saw anymore.

Besides Nash she hardly saw anyone else. There was another cabin on the property, but it was empty, and the only other humans that Ellora ever saw were in town, an entire day’s trip away via pod. They had only gone into town a few times since they had moved to the colony. And they never left their planet since their arrival. Occasionally Nash would hear about the Titan over an open radio and he would travel into town by himself to get the latest news, but no one knew much.

However, Nash and Ellora didn’t feel that they needed the Titan anymore, they were their own family unit now.

Nash, Ellora, and baby Ava made their little world complete. Ava was the light of Ellora’s life. She made her happy even on the darkest of days when the sun wouldn’t come out for nearly a week at a time, or when the devastating storms rolled in and they thought that they would lose the cabin. Ava just smiled and Nash would hold her and make her laugh and she knew that they would be all right. Their life had become peaceful. Ellora knew that one day someone might come for Ava, because she was like Ellora, she was probably immune. But until that day they could just enjoy being a little family. As she looked out over the hills she could see Nash holding Ava’s hand as she slowly waddled up the hill next to him. She still took each step tentatively, afraid that she would fall down. But Nash would never let that happen, Ellora had seen him time and time again lift her up before she fell. Ellora was afraid he was being too gentle with her, not teaching her to be tough enough like her parents were. But Nash always said that there would be plenty of time for that later, but for now she should just be a happy child and they should enjoy every moment that they had with her.

And every time he said that Ellora remembered how much she loved the Alliance fighter from the Titan. The man who saved her life.