The ship lurched. It shouldn't be lurching. We're in the middle of space for crying out loud.
"Somebody blow them up before I start having Novians for dinner," I threatened.
Jastrow ran to his station, "Captain, their shields are still up," he replied.
"Well then, fire the torpedoes! Bring them down! I won't be on an American plate for dinner today!" I looked at the screen; three white flares emitting from the bottom of it and heading straight for the American vessel. They exploded before hitting the ship. Their shields.
A small beeping came from my seat. They're calling us. I went to my seat and turned on my screen. A middle aged man appeared on it. He had a white goatee, and a bald spot on the top of his head. His brown eyes found mine, narrowing just a bit at our mutual relationship.
"Greetings, may I speak to the captain of this ship?" he questioned.
I paused. What, is he blind? "If you're referring to the captain of the ship you're standing on, I have no authority there. I'm assuming you're the captain, so if you want to talk to yourself, be my guest," I teased, "however, if you're referring to the ship I'm standing on, then you're talking to the captain."
He raised an eyebrow. "I would have assumed the captain to be older, and well, a male," he replied. Figures. Earthlings and their gender roles.
"Do you need something?" I asked.
He looked off the screen, "Stop firing on my ship... we didn't come here looking for a fight. All we want is to pass through on personal business."
Stop firing on his ship. Ha. Well, if he stops killing my people, I'll stop 'firing on his ship'. A young boy in the background shifted, catching my eye. He was looking over the captain's shoulder directly at me. When he noticed I was looking at him, he quickly turned away, but only for a split second, meeting my eye again. He had dark eyes, from what I could tell, and something about them look familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it at the moment. I turned my attention back to the captain, "Just this once," I stated, "The next time you come even within a light-year of my ship, I'll blow you to bits."
"Much appreciated," he replied, nodding.
I turned off the screen, displaying a large American vessel. The Jefferson

was painted on the side in large, red print; a needle inserted itself into my heart. Dad was not going to be happy. I turned towards Jastrow, "Come with me, I have a blaster I need to get out of my quarters."
He nodded, following me out of the command deck. We rode the elevator down to the 5th floor in silence. A faint 'ding' announced our arrival and the doors slid open. Jastrow and I paced down the hallway when Jastrow turned to go down Galvan Hall. I froze and watched him make his way down. He paused and looked behind him. His face was contorted with a melange of sorrow and guilt. Slowly he made his way back to me, stuttering, "S-sorry ma'am." His eyes were downcast, he refused to meet my eye.
A lump formed in my throat, "Oh Jastrow, no, no, no, you're fine," I lifted his chin, "look at me, look at me," his solemn eyes met mine, glistening just a bit, "you've done nothing wrong. Come, let's go." I patted him on the back, pulling him away from Galvan Hall. I looked back down the hallway, while it was brightly lit, the erie essence it gave crawled up my spine. The lump in my throat expanded, like a sponge that's absorbing water. I swallowed it down, and led Jastrow to my quarters.
We walked in silence for a few minutes before Jastrow spoke up, "Ma'am?"
"Yes Jastrow?"
"Do you think when we reach General Perry's ship, you can request him to allow Arria to transfer onto this ship?" he asked timidly.
Arria was Jastrow's girlfriend. The two worked together on my father's ship before I took command of the Lilium

and needed crew members. Jastrow was assigned to the Lilium

as first mate. Arria stayed on my fathers ship, The Phantom

. The two went to the same space academy and managed to get assigned on the same ship, but when I got involved in the war, we didn't need another medical officer. However, Arria was promoted to the commanding medical officer of The Phantom

. But this was six years ago. Now, they're hoping my father has found someone to replace Arria. "I'll ask," I told Jastrow. He smiled his goofy, lovesick smile.
When we arrived at my quarters, I punched in the room's code. A light clicking sounded and the doors pulled open.
"Mommy!" Siobhan came running up to me, her arms wide open.
I crouched down and opened my arms, scooping up Siobhan. She squeeled. "How's my favorite little space trooper?"
She giggled, "I don't wanna be a space trooper no more!"
I feigned a gasp, "Really? Well, what do you want to be?"
She wore a big grin on her face, "I wanna be like Mista Jastrow! I wanna be a first matey, and control the Lilium

when you're gone!"
I looked at Jastrow. He was chuckling. I put Siobhan down, "Well, I think he'd be proud if you were the one to take his job when he's done!" I whispered, "now, excuse me, I have a job for him." I stood up and went over to one of my cabinets and pulled out a small blaster. I handed it to Jastrow, "With all the spottings of Earthlings recently, I want you to have this, in case anything happens."
He nodded and left the room. I spun around to face Siobhan, "Mommy, can we go see daddy today?" she asked.
I hesitated, a small pang struck my heart, "Sure thing, sweetie."
Siobhan ran over to the materializer, "Two red rosies please!" she commanded.
Three beeps filled the air, "Commencing two red roses," spoke a feminized computer voice. The compartment next to the speaker began glowing, a low hum emitting from it. "Two red roses, complete," the computer addressed. Siobhan opened the compartment and pulled out the roses. She sniffed them, slowly rising to her tippy toes at the same time.
She ran over to me, one of the roses in her outstretched hand. "One for mommy to give to daddy too?"
I plucked it from her fingers, "Why thank you! Don't mind if I do!" She grabbed my other hand and led me out of my quarters. We walked in silence for a bit, before I asked, "So how's school?"
She beamed up, "Super coolio!" I giggled at her word choice, "today Aven asked the teacher why the ship was shaking."
Curiousity struck me, "What did the teacher say?"
"That the bloody Earthlings were being attacked by a giant space gorilla and they wanted in our ship, but you wouldn't let them because we are at a war with them!" I chuckled, that would be Mr. Bowie. "Then Saeran asked why we are at war with them."
My ears perked up, "Now what happened?"
Siobhan pouted, "He didn't say much. All he said was the Earthlings were controlling and people didn't like it so they left, but I wanna know more!"
"The first thing you should know then is that Earthlings weren't controlling, but the American government was," I stated, "Way back in the 21st century, the American government tried to pass an act called the SOPA act, which stood for Stop Online Piracy Act. This act would limit all of the world's use of the internet. Both the American and non-American people grew furious over this. The Americans were upset because 200 years before that they went to war with the British to fight for individual freedoms, and this included freedom of press. The SOPA act would take that freedom away in the internet, and the Americans didn't like that. The rest of the world was furious as well, because this act wouldn't limit just the Americans internet, but theirs too! Thankfully for them, the act didn't pass, but that didn't stop the American government from trying to limit the people's freedom.
"As other nations became aware of this, they tried to find ways around it. A few scientists found a planet that could substain life and nations began researching ways to get there and live there. They got scientists to develop what was needed to live there, like types of food or a stable oxygen supply. They also got historians to research the roots of what made a colony successful, such as should they focus more on getting an abundant supply of food, or should they begin amassing an army.
"The first people to reach this new planet were the Portuguese, so they named it Novan, which came from 'nova', meaning 'new' in English. Next came the Russians with many advanced forms of research. The British came shortly after that, but when they came, the American government was fully aware of what was going on, because the worlds population was dwindling. They knew people were leaving, but they didn't realize they weren't coming back!
"Well, earlier in history, the American government had closed down America's space station, known as National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA, so they had to open that up again. But this took them a while, giving Novan plenty of time to expand. When the American government could finally reach Novan, they sent a diplomat and requested peace. The Novans accepted this, and the two opened trade with each other. The American government proceeded to take over Earth, and when they took control of it all, they wanted more. That's when they slowly began taking control of Novan, but having seen this already, Novan fought back, thus beginning the Novian Revolution."
Siobhan continued walking. She had a blank expression across her face. When she realized I was done, she looked up at me, her dark brown eyes meeting mine. I don't know where she got them, both mine and her fathers were blue. "Sweetness!" she chirped. I was surprised she followed all that. "Look, daddy!"
My heart jumped. We were in Galvan Hall. Siobhan ran up to him, her eyes gleaming. She held up her rose to his face, "look daddy, we got you rosies!" His eyes just stared, unblinking; his face unchanging, not smiling or frowning. I walked up behind Siobhan, resting my hand on her shoulder. My eyes met her fathers. "Mommy, give daddy your rosie!" I held up my rose to his face, letting him smell it, before I placed it down on the floor in front of him. Siobhan did the same thing. I looked him in the eye, his eyes were a light blue with golden slivers.
My eyes wandered down to his sternum, finding a gold plaque that read:
"Hanaya Telphor: 2,356 - 2,378"
The lump came back, this time as a solid boulder. I was seeing his face again, but it was motionless, not even an inch of life in it. "Mommy, don't cry," Siobhan commanded, "You'll see daddy again!"
I crouched down to Siobhan's level, "Yes, I will, and you'll meet him one day!" She smiled shyly. I picked her up and raised her up to Hanaya's face. She brushed his nose gingerly, dust coming off. I frowned. "Looks like I need to get the janitors to this hall don't I?"
"Daddy needs a clean face," she agreed.
"Let's go, we're on our way to go see Grandpa!" Siobhan's eyes enlarged to an abnormal size, her goofy smile smeared itself across her face.
The ship lurched, the hall lights flashed red and a siren droned in my ears. Jastrow came on the speakers, "Captain, the Earthlings have begun firing on us, you're needed on the command deck."
Siobhan's eyes teared up. I looked into her eyes, "Siobhan, go to our quarters and do what mommy taught you. Don't come out until Jastrow or I come get you, got it?" Siobhan nodded and wrapped her eyes around my neck. I squeezed her tight. She smelled like freshly picked roses with a dash of crayon. I pulled her away, "Now go," I led her in the direction of my quarters, "I love you!"
I stood there for a few moments as I watched her run down the hall. When she turned left, leaving my sight, I felt a tear run down my cheek. Wiping it away, I turned and headed for the command deck.
"What is bloody going on?" I barked when the elevator doors opened.
Jastrow stood up, "Captain, the Earthlings have begun firing on us!"
I raced to my chair. A large American vessel was sitting in front of us, The Jefferson

was written on its side. Why were they attacking now when earlier they were crying rainbows and peace doves? "Call them," I ordered. Moments later, the same middle aged man I spoke to before was on my screen. "What in the galaxies name are you doing?" The man looked off his screen and nodded. My ship lurched again. "Will you stop that!"
He looked at me, "I've changed my mind. I've decided we won't let a Novan vessel leave our grasps without a fight," he stated, "prepare to be boarded."
The screen flicked off. My jaw hung open; it took a few blinks before I came back to my senses. Bloody Earthlings, they just can't be trusted.
"Captain?" It was Jastrow, "orders?"
I looked at him, and then to the rest of the crew. Every single one of their faces had determination written all across them. The ship lurched again, a whining noise filled the air. "Warning, the ship has been breached, warning," the ship said, repeating itself. Breached already?
"Find a weapon, prepare for close combat," I hollered.
I reached under my chair, finding a button and pressing down. A small compartment opened up under it, and I pulled out a small hand gun. I ran towards the elevator, I needed to get to Siobhan.
When the elevator doors opened, I ran a few feet before a young man was pointing his gun at me. I raised my gun to his chest, but something about his eyes looked familiar. This hesitation was all he needed to press his trigger. I couldn't feel the gun in my hand. I looked down and saw that it had fallen to the floor. My arms felt like water, I tried reaching for a wall to brace myself, but they wouldn't move. A tingling went down my spine and I saw the young man running towards me, his arms outstretched. I felt a sharp pain on my head before I blacked out.
My head throbbed. I pried open my eyes, where fuzzy light flooded in. I closed them again, a small moan emitting from my throat. A shushing filled my ears, and a cold, firm hand squeezed my own.
I managed to open my eyes and a young man about my age stared down at me. His eyes were brown with golden slivers tinting them. His hair was a chestnut brown and a few strands fell into his eyes. He leaned in to whisper, "You're fighting the American government?" he questioned, but he already knew the answer, "I'm on your side." This was the same boy who shot me earlier.
"Who are you?" I mumbled.
"The captains son," he whispered, "the name's Skyler." He held out a hand. Does he seriously expect me to touch that? After holding it out for a few seconds he slowly lowered, a wimpy smile crossed his face. "Look, you may not trust me, but my father has immoral views. As an officer, I've been required to learn the history of Earth and Novan, and let's just say, I'd rather be a Novian."
I stared at him. "There's nothing I can do. I'm stuck on an American vessel, and your father is most likely going to put me to death when he finds out I'm awake," I looked around the room. It was all white with a young nurse by a counter labeling pill bottles.
Skyler laughed, "That's where you're wrong," he pulled out a key, "I have a small ship ready to escape," A smile pulled at the ends of his lips, "You'll have to put on some handcuffs. Can't go walking around a ship with full security looking like a Novian."
I began to protest, but he put a finger across my lips, "Shelby, get this woman ready for transportation."
The woman by the counter got up and grabbed a needle. When she reached me, she ejected a small amount of the liquid out of the needle, the way doctors do. She had long, thin fingers that wrapped around my wrist and turned my arm upward. "Just relax," she said. Her voice was soothing. She placed the needle on the inside of my arm, and injecting the fluid into my system.
When she was finished, I clenched my hand. My fingers moved without strain. The fluid must have mobilized me, compared to what I was seconds ago. Skyler lifted me out of the bed, "Come, we must hurry. Give me your hands." He locked handcuffs around my wrists. I was still out of it, of what was going on.
"What about my daughter," I moaned, "Where's my daughter?"
"You were the only person we took captive, I don't know about your daughter," he said. Oh Siobhan, she must be terrified. Jastrow better take care of her, or I'll be haunting him from my grave!
He led me down a few hallways, past security guards standing at doors or wandering down the hallways. He eventually reached a door where he held my arm and punched in some numbers in a key pad. The door opened and he led me into another hallway and finally into a small room with two chairs.
He closed the door behind us and sealed it, and then unlocked my wrists. I rubbed them where the metal of the handcuffs had dug into. Skyler went and sat in one of the chairs, where the section around him lit up. We were in a small transportation ship.
I crept over to him and he pulled out of the station in the ship. "What's going on here?" I demanded.
"What do you think?" he replied.
"Umm, I have a thesis on what's going on."
He looked at me, a smile playing across his face, "And what's that?"
"That all Earthlings are insane."
He laughed, "What makes you think that?"
"Well, I was kidnapped by an evil American governor and held captive, and now I'm being kidnapped by my kidnappers own psycho son and taken who knows where!"
"You're not being kidnapped. You're being rescued."
"How is this a rescue?" I questioned, "You took me against my will."
"You didn't try to escape me," he responded. He had me there.
"Where are you taking me?"
"No idea," he chirped, "probably some stranded planet in the middle of nowhere." I sat in the seat next to Skyler. I couldn't figure him out. "What's your name? Or do you prefer I call you Miss?"
I paused, "Calla," I responded, "Captain of the Lilium

, daughter of General Parry, and when he recieves word that I'm missing, the entire Novian fleet will search me down destroying any American vessel they cross paths with until I'm safe at home in time for Christmas."
Skyler raised an eyebrow, "Daughter of the

General Perry?"
"The one and only," I chirped.
He inhaled a deep breath, "Guess I should have done my homework before I just went and kidnapped a pretty lady."
My head whipped to face him. His neck was growing red as he looked in the opposite direction. Oh my goodness, American men are worse now than they were in the history books. "What do you do?" I asked him.
"I'm the medical officer for my father's ship. I manage the patients brought in, and approve or disapprove of who gets what prescriptions. I got anything and everything for curing illnesses to influencing the body's immunity system. You name it, I got it," he flashed a proud smile to no one. "What about you? How'd you become captain at such a young age?"
My throat swelled for a split second as memories flooded back, "Um, I had a boyfriend who was murdered by an American ship," I paused, my voice was cracking, "I then went to my father who promoted me to captain of the Lilium

so I could find the ship and destroy it."
"Oh, I see," he paused. His eyes were filled with sorrow, "do you know the ship that did it?"
"I do," I answered, "The Jefferson

."
The color in Skyler's face flushed out, even the stars in the sky weren't as white as his face had just become. "What's your daughters name?" Hmm. Change of topic. Understandable. It had to mean that he was on the ship when it happened.
"Siobhan," I smiled, "her father liked that name."
Skyler looked at me, a hidden smile was on his lips, "It's a beautiful name. I'm sorry she isn't here right now."
I chuckled, "I'm glad she isn't. She'd be punching in random buttons, and with her luck, the self-destruct button. Besides, she'd be screaming 'kidnap' like nobody's business. The Jefferson would even be able to hear her screaming. Sound doesn't even travel through space!"
He looked confused, "even with you here?"
"She went ballistic when she saw I had a blaster in one of my compartments. I still haven't figured out how she got the password for that."
Skyler chuckled, "Sneaky little girl. Does she get that from you?"
"Nope!" was all I could say. I was probably the least sneakiest person on the Lilium

.
"I think I found a planet we could settle on," he punched into the buttons on his side of the ship, then he placed his hand on a lever, "brace yourself," he pushed the lever forward. My body got sucked into the back of the seat, the stars ahead of me disappearing.
After a few seconds being pinned down to the seat, the ship stopped. My body was thrown forward. Skyler smacked his arm across my chest, halting my forward motion. "Did I not say to brace yourself?" A bit of panic was set in his voice. I smiled a sheepish smile.
In front of me floated a bluish-purple planet. The clouds had a greenish tint, engulfing the planet in seperate areas. Already the ship was filled with purple light. As we got closer and began entering the planet's atmosphere, the ship began rattling. "Nothing to worry about," assured Skyler.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"No idea," he replied.
He glided the small vessel down the planets atmosphere and found a clear landing. He shut down the engine with a purple hue emitting in through the windows, decorating the inside of the vessel with purple rays. The effect was that of a disco balls reflection on light in the 20th century.
Skyler opened the door to the outside and led me out. He had a small hand gun ready. "Plan on getting mugged by wild purple fluff balls?" I joked.
He laughed and looked at me. His brown eyes struck a feeling on the tip of my tongue. I've seen those eyes before. "Just taking precautions," he replied.
I followed him a ways away from the vessel. Something about his eyes bugged me.
"I honestly don't know what we're going to do here, but it'll give us time to think without being found," he said. He faced me, his face inches apart from mine. His brown eyes with the golden slivers were exploring my face. They had an enchanting effect on me, his face getting closer to mine, closer and closer.
I jumped back. His eyes were wide with bewilderment. "You ninnyhammer!" I screamed at him, "Siobhan, oh Siobhan!"
Skyler threw his arms up, shielding himself. "Easy Calla, calm down!"
"Calm down?" I stamped my foot, "Calm down? You expect me to calm down, when I have no idea where my daughter is? Calm down!" I laughed.
Skyler's face grew with dread. I probably looked like a mad woman; all I was missing was some sort of weapon to rid Skyler's face from existence. He tried shushing me, but kept his distance.
"Oh don't shush me," tears began racing down my cheeks. My knees collapsed beneath me. I curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth. Skyler raced over to me, wrapping his arms around me. He continued shushing me in a soothing voice.
My body relaxed, but my mind was racing all over the place, even I couldn't follow it. "Can we talk about Siobhan?" Skyler asked, "bring happy thoughts?"
I smiled, "She has brown eyes, but I don't know where she got them. Neither mine nor her her father's eyes were brown."
"Maybe that makes her all the more special," Skyler suggested, "it's just the beginning of her many surprises."
"Maybe," I said.
"So, was Hanaya your only boyfriend?" he inquired.
I lifted my head, looking into his brown eyes, the golden slivers radiating. "How do you know his name?"
Skyler paused, "Uh, you mentioned his name when you told me about his death."
I recalled the conversation, "I never said his name though." My eyes grew wide. Those eyes, I know those eyes! "Hanaya?" I asked. Was he really alive and cradling me in his arms?
"Yes?" he said, with a glint in his eye.
"But how?"
"Vaccines, they helped protect me. When a doctor found me, he was able to bring me back."
"But you were shot," I said, recalling the moment.
"Not exactly." I looked into his eyes, "Calla, I'm so sorry. I tried finding you as soon as I could."
Now it was me shushing him. I cupped my hand behind his head, and pressed my lips against his. I never thought I'd have another moment like this, and I certainly didn't want it to end.
After a few seconds, I pulled away. I looked at him, his brown eyes staring back at me. "How did your eyes change?"
He chuckled, "have you forgotten the power of contacts?"
I giggled, "oh yeah," I continued looking into his eyes. Something didn't seem right, "Wait. Why are you with the Earthlings? Why not the Novians?"
He looked away, "Well, I'm not exactly of Novian blood," he admitted. "The captain of The Jefferson

is my father."
"You're a spy?" His eyes grew grave. "For how long?"
He stuttered, "Always," He reached for my hands, his own shaking, but I pulled away.
"So you used me?" I stammered. I quickly rose to my feet, Skyler following. He began uttering useless sounds, trying to find something to say, but I couldn't take it. "No!" I screamed at him, "get out. Get out!"
Skyler protested, but I pulled his hand gun out of its holster and aimed it at him. His arms raised above his head, "Calla," he said, his voice cracking.
"I said, get out!" I shot at his feet, causing him to jump back.
"Can we talk about this," he protested, still backing up.
"Talk about what? You used me, you're a spy!" I got to the vessel and managed to keep him outside. I hit the close button, and the doors to the small vessel closed.
I made my way to the front of the vessel and turned on the engine, and struggled to get out of the atmosphere. As I was leaving, I saw Skyler standing there, looking up at me. A tear trickled down my cheek.
When I got into the atmosphere, I drove the vessel aimlessly around the universe. After a few hours of leaving the planet with Skyler, I felt a pull on my engines. They were no longer moving the ship. Something had latched the ship into a gravitational pull and was pulling it to it. When I could see what was pulling it, my heart froze. Along the side of the ship read The Jefferson

. I was captured.
The pull locked me into the ship's bay, and the door was forced open. A red beam aimed at me before I fell onto the ground unconscious.
When I awoke, I was in a glass tube. At the top was a shower head; however, I had my clothes on. They weren't showering me. I looked around, and across the room was another glass shower with a young man inside that one too. The brown eyes meeting mine. Skyler.
I opened my mouth to protest, but an older man's voice boomed through the glass. It was the captain of the ship I was captured on earlier. "Calla, captain of the Lilium

. It's good to see you again."
My gaze met his before it trailed to a man behind him. The man wasn't an American. He was my father. "Dad?" I asked.
"Hello Calla," he said. His voice wasn't too pleased.
"What's going on?" I asked him.
"Well, it seems as if you've been socializing with an agent of the American government," he responded. He pointed at Skyler, whom his father disregarded. My father spoke again, "It seems as if we've reached a stalemate. Neither I, nor this Americans father wants to give up their child, but you know the penalty for socializing with Americans is death." My heart dropped. My own father was going to sentence me to death? "So we've decided that one will live, and we're letting you two decide who survives, and who dies. Inside your prison is a red button. That button will trigger poisonous gas killing the one in the other prison. The blue one, will release the gas in your own prison. You two can communicate with the green button. I do hope you choose wisely, Calla," his eyes rested on mine for a second, before he turned and left the room. The American Captain followed him.
I looked at Skyler, he was looking back. He pressed the green button and spoke to me. "Hey," he said.
"Hey? Hey, that's all you have to say?" I responded.
"Yes," he paused, "I've been awake longer then you, and I've already decided. Let me die."
"What?"
"You have a future, Calla," he said, "and my father found out about me, about us."
"What, you weren't spying on me on that vessel?"
"No, I was running away, and I couldn't leave you there."
"And what about 6 years ago? When you 'died'?"
Skyler sucked in a deep breath, "That's complicated."
My eyes narrowed, "I believe we have time. Neither of our fathers want to lose us, they'll give us time."
Skyler's eyes met mine. From a distance, all I could see were brown spheres, but I knew those golden slivers were there. "I did orginially go there to spy on Novan. My father thought, 'they'll never suspect a young boy,' and he was right. I became a crew member on The Phantom

, and with my unique skills, I was promoted to its medical officer. I got information from wounded or sick patients, and when I had the time, I sent the information to my father. Then one day you walked in, your long, blonde tresses were up in their usual pony tail. When you looked at me, I knew I had to get to know you. I began talking to you, but you had better things to do. However, your visits did become more frequent and I wished it was to see me. Our connection grew, and as it did, my reports to my father began dwindling. He began noticing and ordered that I come back. He informed me that he'll have people invade the ship and take me back, and that's what he did. Arria then took my position as medical officer on The Phantom

, and you became captain of the Lilium

," he chuckled, "I saw your face talking to my father. My was I in for a shock that you became a captain. You never struck me as one. I remember you used to complain about your father's orders," he paused, sighing, "I never knew you had a daughter."
I blinked. I did go back to visit him. I often feigned sicknesses or would prick my finger. Just a prick to get a band-aid from him. "So, it was real?"
"Yes, it was real," he said. He hit the blue button, and before I could reach the green button and stop him, he released the gas in his own prison.
"Why?" I asked.
Gas began pouring into his prison. "Because," he began, "because I love you. I've never known a woman as dynamic and enthralling as yourself, and I'd rather end it with you then some space wench," My jaw dropped. My heart pounded, echoing in the prisons container. "I love you," I reached for the green button, but his container was filled now, and I couldn't see him. He was gone.
My prison unlatched itself, and the glass rose into the ceiling. My father came in and hugged me, squeezing me tight. "I knew it'd be you," he said. A tear fell down his face. I stood up, a tear falling down my own. Shelby, the nurse, came into the room and Skyler's own prison rose up, his body falling flat onto the floor. Shelby injected a needle into his arm, and had him carried off. His body was lifeless.
I looked at my father, and slapped him in the face. Another tear trickled down my face. He just looked back at me, placing a hand on his reddening cheek. After a brief moment, he left the room.
I looked around. I remember seeing it when Skyler walked me handcuffed through the ship. Taking a deep breath, I left the room, and recalled the directions to the ship. I escaped through the halls, until I found a small vessel I could escape on.
When I got in, I started it up. An alarm sounded in the distance, but I took off anyway. I put the ship in full speed, and soared away from the ship.
For a few hours, I just sailed through space, thinking of what to do. So far I was at the conclusion that I'll find the Lilium

and go blow up the Jefferson, and then I'd go and blow up my father's ship. I contemplated Earth and Novan too, but I couldn't figure out how to do that, not with this ship. With nowhere to go, I'd just drift through space, eventually starving to death. The human race would be near extinct.
But then I pondered my dilemma. What about Siobhan? She must be screaming her lungs out crying for me. Okay fine. I'll invade each and every ship, just me, and I'll get my Siobhan back, if it's the last thing I do!
I punched in some coordinates, "Coordinates received. Destination: Novan," whispered a female voice. It was the vessel. If I remembered correctly, the damage the Lilium

received was enough that it needed to go back to Novan to get repairs.
The ship traveled for a while. I sat back, trying to calm my mind. Coming into view was a reddish pink planet.
Novan.
I should have no problem getting in there, I am Novian after all.
It got larger and larger, before it completely filled my screen. The ship began rattling as it entered the atmosphere.
Once inside, I glided the ship over a forest towards Glitter City, the Lilium

's home. I found a space station to land in and walked outside. A few people stared at me, the guards had their weapons ready. I was arriving with an Earthling vessel after all. I pulled out a badge so they could all see. The guards relaxed, but the stares just kept coming.
I wandered a bit, asking around to see if anyone had seen the Lilium

. Some said no, others pointed in aimless directions to get rid of me.
The aroma of the planet brought back memories from my childhood. I never suspected I'd become captain of a ship, and I definitely didn't suspect I'd be launching my own personal war in this revolution.
I turned a corner and parked in front of me was a massive star ship. It was bigger than I thought it was, but still on the side of it read Lilium

.
"Captain!"
I turned around. Jastrow stood there, Arria by his side. Between the two stood Siobhan. Her eyes lit up and she ran towards me, "Mommy!" she screamed! Her arms wide open. I scooped her up and spun her in circles. "Where'd you go, Mommy?"
I looked her in the eyes, "I saw Daddy!"
Her eyes enlarged, "You died?!"
I chuckled, "No, Daddy was being sneaky! A lot like you!"
"Where is he?" she asked. My heart stopped.
"He couldn't come," I said. Her eyes looked downcast, "but we'll see him again one day." She hugged me, "come on, let's get the Lilium

fired up and leave."
"Captain?" It was Jastrow. Arria was by his side.
"Yes, Jastrow?"
"Permission to allow Arria on board?"
I smiled, "Permission granted. We need a medical officer, don't we?"
Jastrow grinned, turning to give Arria a quick peck on her lips. Arria returned his smile. Both he and Arria followed me on. Other soldiers hailed me as I walked past them. I walked into the command deck, barking orders to get us out of here. The crew members raced to get the ship ready to go.
I went onto the ships speakers, "prepare to launch."
The ships engines fired up. After sitting there for about ten minutes, she finally lifted off the ground and roared into space.
I let the ship sail for a few hours, devising my plan. "Orders captain?" Jastrow asked.
I thought for a moment, "sail for The Jefferson

, we have business to do."
"Affirmative." Jastrow motioned for the Lilium

's driver to locate The Jefferson and head in that direction.
"Jastrow, inform the engineers to power the shields to their full potential."
"Right away ma'am," he began right away.
"Oh, and Jastrow?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Get them to reload and improve the weapons."
"Right away, ma'am"
"When you're done, relieve yourself and spend some time with Arria, she may want to get to know the ship a bit, and you know it the best."
Jastrow grinned, "Thank you ma'am!" He hailed me before leaving the room.
I turned to Siobhan, "Siobhan, Sweetie, I need to go about some business before things get nasty. Do you want to stay here or come with me?"
Siobhan explored the side of my chair. When she found a hidden door, she popped it open and stuck her hand in there, pulling out a red lollipop. "I wanna stay here." She examined the wrapper, picking at it.
"Okay then. You be good then, and don't get in the crew way okay?"
"Okay mommy. Can I sit in your chair?"
I chuckled, "sure thing, Sweetie!"
Siobhan tore open the wrapper and stuck the lollipop in her mouth. Her large brown eyes met mine. She lifted her tiny hand and waved good-bye. I returned her wave and left the room.
Once in the elevator I hit the number 7, the education floor. The elevator dinged when it arrived and I walked down the hall. The door I stopped at read "Mr. Bowie's First Grade Space Troopers."
I knocked.
"Come in," sang a chorus of first graders.
I opened the door. When the children saw me they flew to their partners whispering. I laughed, "Mr. Bowie, I need to speak to you."
"Yes, captain," he said, rising from his chair and heading towards me.
"Mista Bowie's in twouble!" hollered a young boy. The rest of the class giggled, some of them 'oohing'.
Mr. Bowie chuckled, "No, I'm not in trouble, the captain just wants to talk. Ashling, you're in charge. Make sure they finish their reading."
"Okay, Mr. Bowie," replied a young red headed girl.
Mr. Bowie closed the door, "something you need captain?"
I hestitated. Why was I here? Mr. Bowie knows Siobhan is my daughter and he should know she'd know the history of Earth and Novan. "Um, no reason. I just wanted to inform you that Siobhan asked me about the history of Earth and Novan, soooo, if you hear her talking about it, she asked me about it."
Mr. Bowie chuckled, "Oh, that won't be a problem."
"Yup," I said, nodding, "that's all."
Mr. Bowie, "Okay, captain, thank you for the heads up!"
"You're welcome," I said. Mr. Bowie began opening his door, "Oh, just don't mention that a lot of people died at the beginning of the war. I don't want her having nightmares."
Mr. Bowie nodded and left.
A ringing filled the ship. Someone was calling us?
Jastrow came on the speakers, "Captain, it's for you."
"Thanks Jastrow," I said to a speaker on the ceiling, "I'll be there shortly."
When I got to the command deck, I looked around. There was a small ship in the distance. I answered it, "Name and rank?"
There was a pause on the other line, then a familiar voice responded, "Hanaya Telphor, medical officer of The Phantom

."
My heart stopped. "Skyler?" I asked.
He chuckled, "Yes ma'am."
I clicked on the screen, and looked into his brown eyes with the golden slivers. They were staring back at me, with a teasing glint. "But how?" I asked.
A smile crossed his lips, "I told you, I have access to vaccines to improve my immunity system," he chuckled, "and that included basic poison gas."
Siobhan tugged on my arm, "Mommy, who's that?"
I looked at her, smiling, "Daddy."

Impressum

Lektorat: Many thanks to Kausam Salam. Without you, I never would of even wrote this or many other pieces. You're my inspirtation. Thank you!
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 14.03.2012

Alle Rechte vorbehalten