E:A Vol 2 Ch 17—June 22, 2119

Victoria opened the door and greeted Becket with a smile and a kiss. “I feel like I just saw you,” she grinned, having just left Ja’val’s science lab two hours earlier where the First Science Commander and Becket were working.

“Victoria, this is Amelia Bennett,” he said, introducing the brunette standing by his side.

“Lia, please,” the woman smiled and shook Victoria’s hand. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s finally good to put a face with a name.”

“Same here,” Victoria smiled, “come on in, you have to meet the kids. My husband is finishing up a meeting and should be here momentarily.” The two toddlers were standing by the sofa, eager to be let loose to run around and meet this new person, but they stayed where their mother instructed and waited, albeit impatiently.

“Ky’nayth,” she said and motioned for him, “this is Lia.” He stomped his little feet and clapped and giggled, his sister following suit. “And this is Mik’kenna. Say hello, kids.”

“Ell oh,” they said and clapped again, then Mik’kenna held out her arms to Becket.

“Kunkle Decket. Kiss peez,” she said.

“Too,” Ky’nayth said and held up his arms as well.

“As you can see, they both adore their godfather,” Victoria said.

“They’re so cute. I didn’t know that even Rayth children had white hair.”

“I was a little shocked by that myself,” Victoria said as the door opened. She saw Amelia reach for Becket’s hand and clutch it tightly.

Victoria went up to her husband and gave him a kiss on his cheek and took his hand. “Lia, this is my husband, the High Chancellor.”

Zy’nayth gave her a nod, sensing her uneasiness and not wanting to increase her anxiety by offering to shake hands with her.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” she said with a bow, having been instructed by Becket as to the proper protocols.

“Dada!” Mik’kenna said, tugging on his pants, “Kiss!”

“It is an honor to meet you, Amelia.”

“Please, Lia is fine.”

“Dada! Kiss!” Mik’kenna exclaimed again, tugging on his pant leg.

“Your name is Amelia. It is a beautiful name,” he replied.

“Trust me,” Victoria smiled as Zy’nayth picked up his daughter, “very seldom will he use something other than your full name. Chris Chapman will always be Christopher. Ky’nayth will always be Ky’nayth not Ky.”

“He does call John, John, not Jonathan,” Becket said.

“His name is John, not Jonathan. I checked,” Zy’nayth said as he set his daughter back down and took his son to greet him with a kiss. “And forgive me for not revealing my name to you, it is a…”

“It’s quite all right, Becket explained everything about Rayth names.”

“Would you two gentlemen get the kids into their high chairs?” Victoria asked, “I’ll start serving the dinner.”

After the kids were settled and the meal prayed over, Victoria led the conversation, “So how did you end up in astrophysics?” she asked.

Amelia smiled, “Well, I grew up in New York City, and there’s so much pollution and even on top of the tallest skyscraper, you couldn’t see the stars because the city’s so bright from all of the lights, not to mention all the smog blocking the view. I think I was maybe six or seven when Dad took the family to Yellowstone for a vacation. I remember on the shuttle ride. It was the first time I saw huge swaths of land covered with grass and trees. There’s hardly any place on Earth that isn’t covered in concrete, glass, or steel, but Yellowstone was gorgeous. The geysers, the animals, the forests, the waterfalls. I was blown away. Then that night, we stayed there at the park, we went for a little hike and I remember looking up and seeing the sky filled with stars, just blanketed with them. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I turned to my dad and said, ‘How can people look at that and not see God?’ Anyway,” she said, suddenly teary-eyed, “from that point on, I wanted to know more about those beautiful twinkling lights and here I am, in a different galaxy, seeing things I never could have dreamed of.”

“There is a stunning trinary star system a short FTL jump from here,” Zy’nayth said. “There are no inhabited planets there, so I doubt if your Expedition has been to that system. If you would like, after dinner, we can take my personal cruiser to see it, if you would be interested.”

“Really? I’d love it!”

As the dinner continued, Amelia became more at ease around Zy’nayth, though it was obvious that she was still quite intimidated by him, but then most people were. After dinner, the kids were put into their stroller, then Zy’nayth signaled the flagship to teleport them to the hangar where his personal cruiser was docked.

“Wow!” both Becket and Amelia had the same reaction to seeing the ship for the first time.

“That’s a personal cruiser?” Becket asked, “That’s the size of a…of like nine of our Earth shuttle cars put together…three long and three high. Wow. It’s a shuttle bus.”

“It is only one of two luxuries I have allowed myself.”

“What’s the other?” Becket asked.

“My island home.”

Once they were on board, the kids were taken out of the stroller and allowed to roam freely, though they tended to stick close to their father. They went to the flight cabin where Amelia was offered the co-pilot’s seat. Becket sat behind her, and Victoria sat behind Zy’nayth, keeping an eye on her children to make sure they didn’t push any buttons. But the twins sat on the floor and played with their books, not really reading them as much as trying to make houses out of them.

As soon as the engines came on, Ky’nayth dropped his book and toddled over to his father and lifted up his arms. “See,” he said, “peez.”

With one strong hand, the boy was lifted then placed in his father’s lap. The boy frowned when the only view was that of the hangar.

He pointed and shook his head, “No.”

“We have not yet taken off. Just a moment, Ky’nayth.”

Mik’kenna now wanted to see what was going on so she held up her arms to her mother. Victoria picked her up and held her on her lap just as the cruiser began to move, causing Ky’nayth to clap.

Soon they were outside of the flagship and heading into the star field. Mik’kenna now felt that she wasn’t close enough to the stars so she reached out for Amelia, wanting to sit on her lap to watch. Instead, Victoria, not wanting to spoil Amelia’s view, nor risk the chance of the little girl accidently hitting any buttons, stood and propped her daughter on her hip and walked towards the front of the cruiser just as the ship slipped into FTL speed.

“Ahhh,” Mik’kenna said and pointed to the lights whizzing by them. “Tars. Ma! Tars!”

“Looks like we might have Terra 2’s next astrophysicist on our hands,” Victoria smiled, “and fighter pilot.”

The ship came out of FTL speed and Amelia gasped. “Oh my! That is…amazing. Is that a…oh, High Chancellor, this is beautiful. That’s a red giant and two yellow dwarf stars. I’ve never seen anything like it. An oort cloud? I think I’m going to cry.”

Zy’nayth took them through most of the large trinary system so that both Amelia and his children could enjoy the view.

“This is spectacular. Thank you so much for bringing me out here,” Amelia said.

“I am glad you enjoyed it,” he said as he turned the ship back towards Terra 2 after a little over an hour of flying around the system.

They returned to the flagship then were teleported back to the floating city. While Becket and Amelia went to have some time alone before Becket returned to Zy’nayth’s island home, Victoria cleaned up the dinner dishes back in their quarters on Terra 2.

“So why’s your ship orbiting Terra 2?” she asked as she unloaded the stroller.

“Crew changes.”

“You need your flagship for that?”

“No. Kol’non also wished to discuss a few things with the general.”

“And visit Be’atta?”

“Most likely.”

“Interferer.”

Zy’nayth smiled.

June 26, 2119

“Oh wow,” Chris said as he and John appeared on the bridge of the battlecruiser, “this is amazing. Oh sorry.” He clamped his hand over his mouth, remembering that on board a Rayth ship, one did not speak unless spoken to, especially if you were a human.

“It is quite all right,” Zy’nayth said, “my crew is quite familiar with both of you and your idiosyncrasies. They know that you do not mean any disrespect.”

John nodded at Kol’non, “First Commander, good to see you again.”

“As it is to see you and Major Chapman. How is Be’atta?”

“She’s taking a little vacation and visiting her village.”

“I thought it was destroyed years ago,” Kol’non replied, perplexed.

“Oh, we helped them settle elsewhere,” Chris said.

“Ah, of course.”

“But she told us to say ‘hi’ for her,” Chris continued, “and that she can’t wait to see the ship.”

“Give her my regards,” he said.

“Will do.”

“Shall we begin the tour?” Zy’nayth asked.

Chris rubbed his hands together, “I’m ready.”

After their tour of the massive ship, Zy’nayth led them to the hangar bay and they boarded his personal cruiser.

“Oh, this is very nice,” Chris said. “Nice perk for the boss.”

“It does not come with the job. I purchased it.”

“And modified it, I bet,” John said.

“Indeed.”

Zy’nayth showed them around the luxurious cruiser then led them to the flight cabin and sat in the pilot’s seat, then to their surprise, he began to explain the controls as he fired up the engines and let Kol’non know he was taking the cruiser out.

“This is going to be way cooler than those Mythican shuttles,” Chris grinned as he sat behind John who’d taken the co-pilot’s seat.

“Any chance we’ll get to fly her?” John asked.

“That is why you are here,” Zy’nayth said. “It is time you learned how to fly a Rayth ship.”

John grinned as he rubbed his hands together, eager to get going, “let’s do this!”

Zy’nayth took the cruiser out of the hangar then methodically went over each button on the various control panels. John and Chris were the perfect students. They asked questions when they were unclear on the purpose of something, and Zy’nayth made sure they knew exactly what everything was for.

“Who wishes to go first?”

“I’ll be gracious and let Chris go first,” John said then stood and let his subordinate take the co-pilot’s seat.

Chris sat down and Zy’nayth quizzed him on the various controls. When he was satisfied, he turned the control of the ship over to the Major. He let Chris fly randomly then had him set various courses, changing things up in mid-course, testing his ability to handle last second course corrections. After an hour, John was given control and was put through the same drill.

“You are much more natural at this than Major Chapman,” Zy’nayth said. “But to the Major’s credit, he did better than most Rayth given the same amount of training.”

“Well, John is a pilot. I just picked it up after coming to Andromeda,” Chris said. “But I can outshoot him any day.”

“I have seen your work behind a gun and bow, I am quite impressed that a human is so accurate and skilled.”

“Thanks. Only thing I’m good at, really.”

“I believe you underestimate your abilities, Christopher. You are quite good at problem solving and strategy. And very good with children.”

Chris chuckled, “That’ll look good on my résumé. Sharpshooter, strategist, good with kids.”

“I would hire you,” Zy’nayth said. “Both you and John have more than proven you would be well-worth having on my payroll. As well as Be’atta and Kaven.”

“High praise,” John said, “I appreciate it. I’m sure Be’atta and Kaven will too.”

Zy’nayth had John set a new course, then switch the controls back to the pilot’s console. Zy’nayth stood and motioned for John to take the pilot seat and for Chris to take the co-pilot seat. “We are headed for a small asteroid belt. Christopher, would you like to try a little target practice?”

“Wait, this thing is weaponized?”

“Do you think I would have a cruiser that did not have weapons?”

“Good point. Okay, big guy, what do I do?” Chris grinned from ear to ear.

Zy’nayth showed him how to switch displays to bring up the weapons and target screens, then walked him through everything.

“John, turn off the auto-pilot and go in manually; call out the targets for Christopher.”

“What if I want to blast a few things?” John asked as he did as Zy’nayth instructed.

“You will have your chance. Watch your speed and approach.”

“On it.”

Zy’nayth sat behind John and activated the console. “I can take control from here if needed,” he said. “Otherwise, she is all yours.”

***

Victoria heard the three men as they entered the house. Mik’kenna and Ky’nayth hurried to greet their father and the two guests. They became even more excited when they saw it was John and Chris. They did their little stamping of their feet and clapping, accompanied with giggles, to let everyone know just how excited they were.

“So, how’d it go?” Victoria asked as she greeted the guests with hugs. “Isn’t that battlecruiser huge?”

“It’s amazing,” John said, “but we got to fly this guy’s personal cruiser.”

Victoria looked at her husband, “Really?”

“They did quite well,” he said and gave her a tender kiss.

“We even got to blow up a few asteroids,” Chris added. “We really need to put some weapons on our shuttles.” He scooped Mik’kenna up while John picked up Ky’nayth. “Or just steal a few of those Rayth cruisers.”

“They are generally not armed,” Zy’nayth said.

“Well, you could change that for us,” Chris grinned. “Dinner smells delicious. Is it time to eat?”

“Another ten or fifteen minutes,” Victoria said, “you guys just relax. Would you like some iced tea?”

“Really need to get you to make coffee,” John smiled.

Victoria wrinkled her nose, “No thanks.”

“Iced tea sounds great,” Chris said, “John will take one too.”

“So, tell me about your current love interests,” Victoria said as she went to fix their drinks.

“Forgive her,” Zy’nayth said, “she is obsessed with this topic.”

“Hey, since we came to this galaxy, things have been pretty rough on all of us. Hardly anyone took time for their personal lives, it’s great that things have settled enough for little romances to start up,” Victoria said.

“Alessa is fantastic,” Chris said, “but still afraid to go near that dock since her accident. I think she still profusely thanks Kol’non every time he stops by Terra 2.”

“He did save her life,” Victoria said, returning with their drinks. “You two have been seeing each other for almost a year.”

“Just over,” Chris replied. “Okay, listen, I can’t keep this a secret much longer. Next month, we’re headed back to Earth so I can meet her parents. I’m gonna ask her to marry me. Well, ask her father if I can have her hand in marriage. Don’t tell anyone, though…you know, in case I chicken out. And pray I’m making the right choice. I love her, I just…well, my job isn’t exactly conducive to family life. I don’t want her to worry and fret and stuff.”

“We will pray,” Zy’nayth said.

“You know,” John said, “five years ago, none of us were Christians, and you, High Chancellor, had never even heard of Christ, now all of us, and Becket, Vince, Be’atta, and Kaven…because of you, big guy, are Christians. We have Bible studies going on throughout the week, we have a little service every Sunday, you’ve talked Vince into getting Amelia’s father and mother to come to an entirely different galaxy and be our pastor…things have changed so much.”

“There has been much change, but do not think I did any of it. God did all of this.”

“How’s your Bible translation coming?” Chris asked.

“Slow, but steady.”

“He hasn’t had as much time to work on it as he’d like,” Victoria said, “but now that the new flagship is ready and the old one has been stripped of its special features, I think that’ll free up some of his time. Now, John, how’s Kari?”

“Okay, I guess.”

“You guess? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. She just seems a little overbearing. Wants everything her way.”

“So does Victoria,” Zy’nayth smiled.

“Nah, not like Victoria. Victoria’s selfishness is all about wanting everyone safe and happy. Though what goes on between you two when we’re not around,” he smiled, “that’s between you two. Anyway, Kari objects if I have to go off-world. She had a fit when I told her we were coming to see the battlecruiser. I think the last straw was when I gave Be’atta a hug before she left on vacation, I ended up having to listen to a twenty-minute rant about hugging other women. Be’atta’s like a sister to me, she knows that. There’s nothing romantic there at all.” He shook his head, “Sorry, I guess I’m still upset over the accusations.”

“I’m sorry, John,” Victoria said as she sat beside him, “maybe it’s best if you sort of stepped away from this relationship.”

“I think I have to. If I can’t be trusted around one of my best friends, then…” he sighed, “I guess I’ve known for a while that it wasn’t going to work. But let’s forget about it. I want to enjoy this time with my friends…my family.”

Victoria kissed his cheek, “On that note, I better finish up dinner.”

A few minutes later, she called them all to the table. The kids had their highchairs to either side of their father, as was usual, then Chris sat next to Ky’nayth while John sat next to Mik’kenna, and Victoria sat across from her husband who was at the head of the table. They joined hands and John prayed over the meal, then Victoria began to pass the dishes.

“Roast with all the trimmings,” she said, “corn on the cob, fresh from my garden, all the veggies are. Please make sure the kids eat their fruits and veggies. And for dessert, I have a cherry cobbler in the oven.”

“Oh, Victoria, if your husband wasn’t here, I’d give you a bit wet kiss for that,” Chris said, “my absolute favorite.”

“I know. Alessa asked for a recipe.”

“She did? Confirmation right there that she should be my wife.”

Victoria chuckled and began to serve the food. Both men received generous helpings. When the first potato came out of the pot and was placed on John’s plate, Mik’kenna squealed, “Taytoe! Ma! Taytoe!”

“Yes, honey, you’ll get some potatoes.”

“I see she’s still obsessed with spuds,” John replied.

“She’ll eat them raw. She absolutely loves them.”

“Ky doesn’t seem to be as excited about food,” Chris said.

“Not outwardly,” she smiled, “but he’ll try anything and has never refused anything given to him, unless he’s full. But you put a pie in front of him, watch out. This will be his first cobbler, I’m sure you’ll hear a little squeal from him when he takes his first bite. Kenna gets excited over potatoes, but Ky seems to savor each bite of everything. Zy, do you want to try anything?” Victoria asked.

“A little of each,” he said, “please.”

“Oh yeah, you’re going to start on the serum soon, right?” John asked.

“Not as soon as we hoped. There’s been a little glitch due to my fullbloodedness.”

“Nothing that Becket, Ja’val, and Victoria can’t figure out, I’m sure,” Chris said.

“We could use extra prayers. We really want him on the serum soon,” Victoria said.

“Yeah, Becket told us what happened, and we understand why you were doing it, but you made the right choice. You’re working on a way to stop. God will honor that,” Chris said.

“So what was the little glitch?” John asked.

“Well, because he’s a fullblood, he has more Rayk DNA in his system than human DNA. His Rayk DNA attacks the serum, thinking it’s a virus or bacteria. The serum doesn’t have a chance to get through and do its job.”

“That sounds like a lot more than a glitch,” Chris said. “Any ideas how to get around it?”

“My thought was that because it’s his Rayk half that’s causing the problems, we do what I don’t want him to do: stop feeding. Allow him to get really weak, to the most minimal amount of energy so his abilities don’t have the strength to attack the serum when we give it to him. We let it work its way through, then allow him to feed to get his strength and energy back.”

“Sounds doable,” John said, “so what’s the catch?

“We’re not sure how long to wait before he can feed. If we wait too long, it could be fatal. If we don’t wait long enough, the serum will just be obliterated by the energy. Ja’val and Becket are running all kinds of simulations.”

“There is also the possibility that even if the serum gets into my system and starts to work, my abundance of Rayk DNA, may cause my body to revert back to how it is now,” Zy’nayth added. “Or, it may cause complications that it has not caused in others.”

“Don’t go giving up hope,” John said, “you’ve come this far. Ja’val, Becket, Victoria…look at what they’ve accomplished in such a short time, well, compared to the thousands of years you’ve been looking for a solution. They’ll find an answer.”

“I hope it is soon. It is very distressing to me.”

“We’ll make it happen,” Victoria said, “you know we will.”

“Other than all this medical stuff,” Chris said, “I’m curious as to why you’re teaching us to fly your ships? Why now?”

“The rebellion has been put down. We are integrating our two peoples. You have proven, beyond a doubt, that you are true allies and friends. And I am going to give you my former flagship.”

“What? Really?” John asked.

“On one condition,” Zy’nayth said, “I only want you and your Alpha Team to know how to fly it and use its weapons. I will have my Second Science Commander go over the computer system with Dr. Harris.”

“We need more than a handful of people to run the thing, don’t we?” John asked.

“Not really.”

“Seems kind of a waste to have a big ship for five or six people.”

“You misunderstand me,” Zy’nayth said. “My caveat is regarding flying and using the weaponry. You are free to have as many people on board as you need. So if you need to evacuate a village or are performing a large scale relief mission, you will have all of the room you need. Or if Dr. Zharkov wishes to explore a star system, he can take his entire staff.”

“I take it,” Chris said, “since you stripped it down, that we’re not going to have all of the super cool stuff, and Simon won’t be able to dig in and steal your technology.”

Zy’nayth smiled, “It is not that I do not trust you. I do not trust those who may inherit the ship years from now.”

“You could always just take the ship back,” John said.

“Which I would probably do unless your successors prove to be as trustworthy as you.”

“I suppose I can’t blame you. So just to make sure, we can train Be’atta and Kaven how to fly and shoot, right?” John asked.

“First, you must improve your knowledge,” Zy’nayth said. “But yes, they will also be trained. I would prefer to do the training myself instead of having you do it in order to make sure they are as knowledgeable as they should be.”

“Zy’nayth,” John said, “on behalf of Vince and the entire Expedition, thank you. This is really an honor, and you have no idea how much I appreciate it. I’m not really sure how we can best utilize her, but I’ll come up with something.”

“It may be of use to your astrophysicists. Its shielding and FTL abilities would give them access to areas otherwise inaccessible by bridge or your shuttles.”

“Good idea,” Chris said, “and it could be our backup for getting people back to Earth if the bridge is getting a lot of traffic or goes down.”

“I would prefer it not go anywhere outside of this galaxy,” Zy’nayth said. “But in an emergency, I would understand. However, should such an emergency arise, contact me. My new ship is quite a bit faster.”

“Suddenly you’re adding more caveats,” Chris grinned, “I thought this was going to be our ship!”

“I simply wish to protect my technology. The last thing I want is for a rebellion to creep back onto the scene using Rayth tech. It has not been an enjoyable experience and I wish to avoid it in the future.”

“I’m just kidding,” Chris said, “I doubt we’d even consider anything like that until talking with you. Besides, we’d have to know how to plot a course like that…unless you left that in the system.”

Zy’nayth smiled, “I have not. She has been stripped clean. But the Second Science Commander will provide some guidance on how to do such things.”

July 28, 2119

Becket met Zy’nayth and his family in the control room. It had been six weeks since Zy’nayth turned over his old flagship to the Terra 2 crew. The students were quick studies and after only two weeks of training, they knew enough to fly the ship to nearby planets to do research. Becket smiled at the twins in their stroller after greeting Zy’nayth and Victoria. “I told Lia we’d swing by the lab and pick her up. She’s neck deep in all of the new research she and Pavel have thanks to having a ship that they can utilize. She’s loving it. Pavel too. And it gives John’s team something to do other than running on meet and greet missions.”

“I am glad it is being useful,” Zy’nayth said.

As they neared the astrophysics lab, Victoria slowed. She stopped pushing the stroller and stared through the glass walls. Suddenly she was shaking. The twins stopped trying to get Becket’s attention and tried to turn to see their mother.

Zy’nayth and Becket had just entered the lab but the Rayth turned the moment he sensed his wife’s fear. “Victoria? What is…”

“Ma?” Ky’nayth asked. “Dada! Ma!”

She was shaking her head, tears rolling down her cheeks, “I can’t…” she said as slid against the wall down to the floor and began to hyperventilate. “Haven’t been… since Jason…”

Becket and Zy’nayth were both beside her, trying to calm her.

“Ma!” Mik’kenna and Ky’nayth both shouting, now fearful themselves, unable to see either parent since they were strapped into their stroller. “Ma! Dada! Ma!”

Zy’nayth put an arm around her and drew her close, holding her tight, “He is gone. I am here. Do not be afraid. I am here, my beloved.”

“Deep breath,” Becket said, “come on, love, deep breath. In…good…hold…out…okay, again…in…”

Amelia and Pavel came running out, “What’s wrong? Victoria, are you okay?” Amelia asked.

“She will be,” Becket said. “Breathe, love, come on. It’s okay. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you ever again.”

Victoria buried her face into her husband’s chest and wept, gasping for air. Becket looked at him, “Take her to your chambers. We’ll bring the kids.”

“Sorry,” Victoria said and gasped again.

“It’s okay, dear,” Becket said, “it’s okay. Keep taking deep breaths.”

Zy’nayth easily lifted her and carried her down the hallway until she said she could walk. Amelia followed with the stroller while Becket made a quick trip to the infirmary to grab a sedative just in case it would be needed.

The High Chancellor helped his wife down to the sofa but held her close. He kissed her and tried to comfort her. By the time Becket ran in, she was starting to calm.

“I have a sedative if you want,” he said.

“I’m okay,” she said, getting her breath back, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t…I haven’t been there since Jason attacked me. Four years. You’d think I wouldn’t react like that.”

Amelia took the kids out of the stroller and as each one was set down, they walked over to their parents, wanting to make sure their mother was okay. Zy’nayth pulled each up onto the sofa then they clambered onto his lap to get a better view of their mother who was nestled close to him.

“Ma?” Ky’nayth asked, “Ma kiss?”

Victoria drew her son into her arms and kissed him, then did the same to Mik’kenna. “Mommy’s okay. Sorry I got so scared.”

“Duv ooh, Ma,” Mik’kenna said.

Becket sat beside her, “Hey, it’s quite all right, Mommy,” he said, “I should have been more thoughtful. I didn’t realize you hadn’t been back there since his attack. I’m sorry, Victoria.”

She shook her head, “It’s not your fault. And before you say anything,” she said as she looked into her husband’s silver eyes, “it’s not yours either. I didn’t realize it myself. It’s okay. I’m okay. Just give me a couple of minutes and we can go to the beach and have our picnic.”

“You sure?”

“I am. Five minutes and I’ll be fine. I want to see the sky and play on the beach with the kids. Forget what happened.”

“Perfect,” Becket said, “Lia and I will go get the food from the mess hall, we’ll stop back here.”

“I’ll be ready,” she smiled, “thank you. And sorry again.”

“Nothing to be sorry about.”

As Becket and Amelia walked to the mess hall to get the pre-arranged picnic food, she asked what had happened to cause Victoria to react in such an extreme manner. Becket sighed, “I should really ask her permission to tell you. She doesn’t talk about it, so I just want to make sure she’s okay with me telling you.”

“I understand,” Amelia said. “And the kids, the way they reacted to her. There’s still so much I need to learn about Rayth. She’s not even telepathic, but those kids could sense her fear.”

“Honey, I could sense her fear and I have no Rayth abilities.”

She nodded, “You sure she’ll be okay to go on this little excursion?”

“As she said, probably best thing for her.”

When they made their wait to the mainland, Becket asked Victoria if he could tell Amelia about Jason’s attack. She nodded. “I should, but I’d appreciate it if you did.”

“I think you’ve had enough bad memories for a while, I’ll tell her later. You just try to enjoy the day.”

“I will. I’ll be fine. We’re gonna have fun.”

At the end of the day, the exhausted people returned to the glass city and went to their own quarters. Even the perky kids were half asleep by the time they were rolled into the chambers. Only Zy’nayth was still energetic, but of course, that was due to being a Rayth. Zy’nayth, however, noticed that as they got closer to the city, his wife’s tension growing.

“He is not here,” he said as he drew her into his arms. “I am here and you are safe in my arms.”

“I know,” she said relishing his embrace.

“Would you like to return to the island? We can bridge back in the morning.”

“No. I’ll be fine, just hold me tight.”

“Victoria, you are trembling far too much. We do not have to stay here.”

“But you need to be here with all of the training and stuff going on up on your flagship.” She looked up in his eyes, “Can we sleep up there? On your flagship?”

“You would be more comfortable on the island.”

“No, well…yes, but it’s more like I just need to be out of the city. The ship will be fine. Besides, the kids love it.”

“The children are sleeping in their stroller,” he smiled, then led her close to the stroller and signaled his ship to teleport them to his personal chambers. Then the two of them put the kids in their cribs and retired to their own bedroom in the battlecruiser that had been converted to the Raythian Fleet’s new flagship.

Victoria changed into her pajamas and curled up in the bed and began to cry. Zy’nayth undressed and slid in beside her and wrapped her into his embrace.

“My beloved, rest. Do not let those horrible memories frighten you.”

“Zy, I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I’m this upset.”

“It is all right. Just hold on to me as tightly as you need to. I will not let any harm come to you.”

She snuggled even closer to him and then they prayed together. As his gentle kisses and tender caresses calmed her, she finally fell asleep.

July 29, 2119

The gentle kisses woke Victoria, then she heard the shrieks from her kids as they climbed up to give her their own kisses when she opened her eyes.

“Good morning,” she smiled and hugged and kissed each child.

“They are hungry,” Zy’nayth said, “I wished to let you sleep longer, but you know I am quite lost if there is nothing prepared for them.”

Victoria smiled and reached out, drawing him into a kiss. “I love you.”

He helped her out of the bed, then she changed into sweatpants and a tee shirt. Once the kids were back in their stroller, the family was teleported from the flagship back down to their Terra 2 quarters.

***

“You doing better today?” Becket asked, when he stopped in to check on her. He smothered his godchildren with affection then stood over them, admiring them, as they went back to their playing.

“Yeah. Sorry to scare you and Lia yesterday.”

“Love, stop apologizing,” he said then drew her into his arms for a strong hug. “You have absolutely no reason to apologize.”

“Becket, why’d I react like that? I knew it’d be hard for me to go in there, but this reaction, it was so unexpected and hit so hard. Four years. That was four years ago. I never reacted like that before. I went back to the same house he beat me, I slept in the bed where he…I never reacted like this. Look at me, I’m trembling just thinking about it.”

“What happened to you there, Victoria, was horrific. Your life with Jason was horrific. Going back to a place where something so brutal happened to you, it was bound to have a pretty strong effect on you.”

“It never happened before. He’s nearly killed me before. I shouldn’t…”

“First of all, his ending up in a different galaxy to find you left you pretty shocked. For the first time in a very long time, you felt safe. So when he got to you, it’s understandable that your reaction was stronger than what you’d been through before. Anyway, don’t dwell on your reaction. Focus instead on the fact that you worked past that horror before. You got through it before and you will get through it again. I’m here to help you, I know Zy’nayth is. John, Chris, Be’atta, Kaven…love, we’re all here for you. Any time, day or night.”

Finally calming back down, she kissed his cheek and stepped out of his embrace, “Thank you for the hug and the reassurance.”

“You promise me, if Zy’nayth isn’t available to help you and you need a hug or just need to talk to someone, you’ll call me, or one of us. Promise me.”

She nodded, “I promise.”