Chapter 29: Friends and Enemies

Darren hummed to himself as he walked down the hallway to Sara’s room. After waking up at ten o’ clock exactly, a quick shower, and breakfast, he’d gone to the chapel. The minister there was more than willing to perform the ceremony after being paid a small amount.

The minister had seemed trustworthy, more so than everyone else on Destiny, at least. And Darren had already taken care of his guards for that night. It’s amazing how a little liquor makes people ignore their duties.

Some plans had been made while still on Shirn, and although he didn’t have time to get an engagement ring, he had been able to procure a good pair of rings for the wedding.

He knocked on Sara’s door and waited. Diana answered it after a little while. “Darren? Sara’s not here.” “Do you know when she’ll be back?”

Diana rubbed her eyes. “No, and I doubt it’ll be anytime soon.” Darren felt a chill run down his spine. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Diana pointed at Sara’s part of the room. It was empty of all belongings. “Some guards came in the middle of the night and took her to a new room. They mumbled something to her about moving her training along quicker. She wasn’t allowed near her computer or even to speak.”

Darren’s heart pounded in a fiery rhythm. You blew it, Garcia. “I’m going up to the commander. No doubt he’s expecting me.” He moved towards the door quickly. “See you later.”
~
Commander Garcia stood on the bridge upper deck facing the elevator, periodically holding up a gold watch and checking the time. The doors slid open and Darren stepped out, moving purposefully. He stopped at the bottom of the small stairway and looked up. “Sir, I’m afraid there’s a problem.”

The commander looked at his watch again. A little earlier than I expected. “Other than your intrusion where you have no clearance, what might that be?” Darren kept his tone easy. “It seems that the person I came on board with has been moved to a higher security area. I respectfully request that we be allowed to stay together.”

Garcia shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, Private Kinsley. Only married couples can petition to stay together. Were you planning on getting married soon?”

Darren swallowed back his biting words. You couldn’t have missed the huge projection technology drain. You knew before anyone else that I was planning to propose. Lying backstabbing piece of…“Actually sir, we were.”

The commander smiled reassuringly. “I extend my sympathies. However, there’s nothing I can do.” Darren gave a nod. “Commander, have you ever heard of the Mouse Dilemma?” Garcia eyed Darren suspiciously. “No.”

Darren stared at the ceiling. “There was a group of mice living in a house that was terrified by a large housecat. They searched amongst themselves for a powerful hero, and found him after a child in the house fed it more cheese than the others. They set him apart, preparing him for the epic battle.”

Darren glared at Garcia. “But the epic battle never came. Because that one mouse was set apart from the others, it was easy for the cat to gobble him up. And the mice were soon plunged into despair once more. If only the adult had stopped the child from setting that one mouse apart, the entire colony of mice could have been saved.”

The commander shrugged. “What relevance does this have?” Darren stared directly into Garcia’s eyes. “The child was only feeding that one mouse cheese to spite the adult, and no other reason. The adult couldn’t figure out why the child was intent on spiting him, either.”

Garcia shrugged again. “I’m sure the child had his reasons.” Darren closed his right hand around the hard red stone in his palm and took a deep breath. I put a great deal of trust in you, commander. See what happens when you betray the one who holds your life in his hands.

Garcia noticed Darren’s growing anger and narrowed his eyes. “Private Kinsley, I’ll remind you that it is most unwise to strike a superior officer.”

Darren spoke quietly, standing with his feet shoulder-length apart. “Strike a superior officer? I would never do that, sir.” One of the men in the chairs looked up from his console. “Commander? We just lost power to your quarters.”

Darren didn’t move. “I’ve been well within my boundaries since I came here, sir.” The lights flickered slightly and then went back to normal. Garcia called guards in and had them aim their guns at Darren. “Private Kinsley, return this space station to normal.”

Another worker looked up. “Sir? We’ve lost total surveillance.” Darren shook his head slowly. “I’ll return Destiny to normal when you stop screwing with my life and using my fiancé as a catalyst, sir.”

Garcia pointed at Darren. “You’re not in control here. Guards, subdue him.” Darren’s face remained emotionless. “I wouldn’t advise that, commander. I’ve already taken care of their guns, and you’ve no doubt heard of my combat abilities from your spies in the cafeteria.”

The commander sighed. “Darren, why won’t you accept it? You can’t be with her. She’s higher up and better than you are, and she has to have more training.” Darren’s tone turned to ice. “‘Can’t do this,’ ‘can’t do that’…you may dictate my work, my play, and my free time, but I will not let you choose who I can or can’t love.”

Steven Garcia stared down at Darren Kinsley. Steely blue eyes battled with cold brown, neither willing to give an inch. The soldiers stood uncomfortably at attention, waiting for orders.

Finally, the commander spoke. “Private Kinsley, you cannot break the rules. By doing so, you could disrupt life here for years to come, and maybe even destroy our chances of restoring technology to Shirn.”

Darren didn’t miss a beat. “Commander Garcia, I made the rules.”

A small high-pitched beeping alerted the bridge that the oxygen level was no longer under their control. Garcia glanced at a console nearby and looked back, still unwilling to give in.

Darren smiled mockingly. “A good leader goes down with his ship; is that it?” He shook his head and sighed. “Look, commander. I’m not asking for your blessing, your permission, or even for you to make my wedding more convenient somehow.”

He picked his words until they sounded forced. “I’m asking for you to stop making my life more difficult than it already is. I’m not asking for help; I’m asking for a lack of aggression. I want your neutrality.”

Garcia looked around and ordered the soldiers away. They complied, giving Darren suspicious looks as they left. The commander turned his back to Darren and faced a large clear panel showing the vast vacuum of space. “If I leave you alone, will you leave Destiny alone?”

Darren nodded. “For the most part, yes. I’ll still retain access to things you consider important to make sure you keep your end of the deal. When I feel I can trust you again, you’ll get complete control once more.”

Garcia considered briefly. “Very well. Private Williams is still required to go through pilot’s training, however.” Darren smiled. “If you access your records, you’ll find there’s a mechanical and technical repair job on her ship that needs to be filled, both skills that I happen to be trained in, sir. Her room is sufficient for two people to live in.”

The commander raised an eyebrow. “You weren’t expecting to lose.” It wasn’t a question, but Darren answered anyways. “No, sir, I wasn’t.” The oxygen alarm faded, power returned to the commander’s quarters, and surveillance was active again.

Garcia pointed behind Darren. “I assume you’ve taken the time on the way up to find out everything, including where she is and how to get there?” Darren smiled again and stepped back into the waiting elevator, returning the commander’s level gaze until the doors closed shut with a pleasant “ding!”

Garcia walked over to the clear panel and stared out again. He couldn’t have done it alone…there had to have been someone else he worked with. He turned to one of his workers. “Get the security tapes up on this screen over here.” He pointed to one in particular.

“Show me everything with Darren Kinsley’s face on it. I want to see what he did, who he talked with, and when.”
~
The fourth floor was quieter than the others. The hangars were to the right of the elevator, the private rooms to the left. The cafeteria for pilots and repair technicians was on the way to the sleeping quarters, and all the classrooms were on the way to the hangars.

Sara slumped down in her chair as the senior pilot up front kept talking. The move in the night had been swift and relatively silent. Sleep did not come easy anymore, as she dreaded another move.

And the cliff in her nightmares kept coming back. Maybe Darren has to be sleeping nearby to dispel them. Most likely it’s because neither one of us has used the power in a while.

The clock next to her bed had woken her at 9 promptly. The schedule near the clock laid out a grueling routine for each day. There had been no time for breakfast or a shower before rushing off to the first item on the list.

Hour after hour of training and lectures, yet not a single moment of peace to be found among the silence. She looked around, hiding her glances by pretending to stretch slightly.

The rows of blue pilot jumpsuits were intently focused on the leader. Why do they spend their entire lives working so hard? We have to help those down on Shirn, true, but some people go so much further than that. They don’t stop to live their own lives. Trying to find fulfillment through being busy or burying their noses in work…some people search for happiness in the oddest places…

“Pilot Williams!” Sara was forced out of her thoughts by the grating voice of the old man. “Pilot Williams, do you know the answer?” Sara sat up and nodded. “Forty-two, sir.”

“Very good.” The pilot-turned-teacher moved on to his next victim. Sara breathed a quiet sigh of relief. I have to stop doing that…there’s no time for philosophy when we’re learning about engine troubleshooting. I barely got that last question in time, too.

A rumbling floated up to her ears from her belly. Lunch was too quick to eat enough. No wonder everyone here seems tired all the time. Sara sighed and did her hardest to concentrate on what remained of the lesson.

The class finished up soon after. They were given dinner and a short break, then more classes. The day ended around eight o’clock as the students headed wearily back to their rooms for more studying.

Sara opted for a shower before going to bed. The hot water felt good on her aching back after sitting up for so long. She stepped out and slipped into a clean bathrobe, standing in front of a long mirror while beginning to dry her hair.

Her head drooped slightly. So…tired… She was nodding off while standing up when she felt the air in the room shift as the door started to open. Her reaction as she became wide awake was to reach over and turn off the lights in both her room and the attached bathroom she was in.

A crack of light from the constantly lit hallway seeped in. She turned towards it quickly, readying herself for defense. If it’s another move, I’ll go with them…but only after making them regret getting assigned to it.

The door closed, plunging the room back into darkness. A slight rustling came from the corner near the door. It quieted after a minute, and still Sara waited. Finally, she could take it no longer and turned the lights back on.

Darren rolled over and mock-glared at her from underneath his blanket. “Hey! I left the lights off so that you could sleep. I expect the same courtesy.” Sara leaned back against the wall and rubbed her forehead, slightly sarcastic. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know I was going to be visited by the almighty Darren. I apologize deeply for my lack of readiness.”

Darren stood up with a serious face. “My visits are unknown to all but a few, and none dare stand in my way.” He held the face for about five seconds before chuckling. “All it took was some leverage upstairs. By the way,” he held out his hand, “I’m your mechanic.”

Sara crossed her arms and stared at him. “I’m sure that’s more innuendo.” Darren grinned and let his hand drop. “I suppose it could be. But not this time.” Sara turned and faced the wall. “And where were you while I was being spirited away against my will?”

“It was against my will too.” He moved closer and settled his head on her shoulder, encircling her waist with his arms. Sara shivered as his voice became deep. “The wedding’s tomorrow night, one hour after your last class. There’s no formal clothing on the ship, so it’ll have to be in jumpsuits.”

Sara’s tone was the equivalent of rolling her eyes. “How romantic.” Darren grinned again. “What, you didn’t expect to be on a space station when you got married? I thought you people planned out your weddings when you were all about twelve?” A slight jab in his ribs was Sara’s response.

Darren chuckled, and then sighed contentedly. Just being near her was intoxicating. He turned his head slightly and breathed in deeply, savoring the smell of her still-wet hair. If only this moment could last forever…

Sara turned around, pulling him out of his prolonged state of bliss. “And the room?” His look turned mischievous. “This room has been soundproofed for the weekend, our few belongings are being transported tomorrow, and a bigger bed will be delivered while we’re being married.”

Sara shook her head. “Sorry if it seems like I’m a little…detached. I’m still waiting for it to sink in. And it feels like waiting for the other shoe to drop, too.” Darren nodded. “I understand. Just remember, we hold the other shoe.”

Sara nodded with Darren as he stepped back. “Well, we’d better get some sleep. From what I hear, pilot training is no picnic. And the same sources say that mine is only slightly easier.”

Sara shrugged. “Can’t be that bad. Most of it is already on the network. It’s all reading and memorization so far. The good stuff like actual flying comes much later. But it’ll all go by quickly.”

Darren raised an eyebrow. “You’re not stressing about this?” She shook her head. Darren looked around, pretending to search the room. “You sure you’re Sara? I seem to remember a girl who wouldn’t go anywhere without knowing exactly what was going to happen.”

Sara smiled. “Must’ve been the company I was in. I seem to remember one person in particular that always did his best to explain the unexplainable, and did a pretty good job, while at the same time showing me that there wasn’t a need to be absolutely sure of everything.”

Darren smiled. “Well, you can’t really enjoy life unless you take risks to make it better. That said, I’m almost asleep on my feet.” He kissed her goodnight and went back to his blanket, mind racing. When did the change happen? It wasn’t at the cathedral or the monastery…maybe it just took time. And now she’s dependent on nothing.

Sara climbed into her bed, lips still tingling. Does he know the full effect he has on me? She drifted off to sleep slowly, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next day.

- posted by Nick @ 6/08/2004 09:35:00 PM