Beyond the Stars: INEO Read Free

and kill her in the process?”
    “No,” Zaric said. “We’ll follow them and wait for them to land. They always leave their ship when they go to ports. I bet their captives aren’t even guarded, just caged.”
    I gulped. Poor Nia.
    My brother-in-law, Zaric, had an odd sense of humor. He was married to Azil, Gaelan’s sister. He was an attractive man, physically fit, but not too bulky, just like Gaelan. His hair was jet black and long enough to cover his brown eyes except he kept it tucked behind his ears, and he almost always had a grin, whether mischievous or sour, on his face.
    “Say we get her, what’s to keep them from coming after us? They might still want Samantha. We’re going to end up in battle no matter what,” said the crewman.
    “Then we’ll deal with it,” Gaelan said with irritation.
    “I’m sorry,” I whispered to Gaelan. I felt like the scapegoat for blame.
    “Relax,” he said. “It’s just talk. Everyone here has a duty to act prudently and not overreact when it comes to using our weapons. Our weapons are so powerful, and have to be deployed so precisely that we must be careful not to blow ourselves up in the process.”
    “That’s reassuring,” I grumbled.
    As the morning went by, I found myself becoming increasingly afraid to speak, move, or even breathe. It was miserable. If I were back on Earth with my colleagues, my ideas and opinions would be eagerly sought. I knew that the relations with the Dreons had been tolerable until my coming aboard, but it wasn’t my fault that they were kidnappers. Compelled to help, I decided it would take more than a few grumpy people to scare me away, so I begrudgingly listened in silence, trying to act solely as an unobtrusive bystander. Despite my lack of wisdom on searching Space, I was hopeful that we could come up with a solution together. Hours passed and nothing was settled. Finally, I couldn’t obsess about the unknowns of our future any longer. I pretended to grow disinterested and went back to our room to wait for Gaelan to finish his shift.
    It was late. I was tired and felt like crying. I missed being home. Participating in a wild goose chase for evil aliens in a galaxy this size felt ludicrous. Then, to make matters worse, I learned we were headed in the opposite direction of Earth. The further delay of going home made me even more anxious. I couldn’t help punishing myself by allowing every dire thought to loop over and over again in my mind. Would I ever see my kids again? What was I missing on Earth? How long would I be gone? Would I even recognize the world when I got back?
    I thought about Nia—was she still alive? I worried we would never find her and that Urit would start to blame me for her disappearance and hate me forever. Enough. I put on some music, and poured myself a large glass of Katarian wine, praying it would numb my brain. Although I wasn’t much of a drinker, the need felt justified. I sunk down into the study’s soft brown sofa, covered myself with a blanket, and stared out the large wall of windows displaying a few distant stars. I knew I was at risk for falling into a deep, dark depression if I allowed it. I sipped in silence, wallowed in my self-pity, and remained in a semi-mesmerized state for what seemed like an hour. At last, I heard Gaelan come in the front door.
    “Ouch, what the … Damn it, Azil!” Gaelan complained after he tripped on something as he entered the bedroom area of our suite. “No you didn’t bring … not my favorite paintings, too— Ugh, she touched my paint! Unbelievable. Is nothing sacred?”
    I heard him continue to knock things over with a string of loud bangs as he stumbled through more of his stuff. It sounded as if he had started an avalanche.
    “Are you okay?” I shouted out from the sofa, too comfortable to get up.
    “Sami, are you in here or buried under one of these boxes?” Gaelan said, walking into the study. He looked at me and let out a big sigh. He looked upset.