Sorcha The Alien Book One

Chapter Nineteen

Space disappears in a kaleidoscopic blur, as Cantral's Combat Cruiser travels faster than the speed of light. We leave Jebnah behind, but not the horrors it contained, they've made a permanent home in my mind. I rest my head against the window and my finger traces circles across the surface of the table.

"Hey, Sorcha," Emerlit says enthusiastically as she strides into the canteen and heads straight to the food dispenser. "You're looking a lot better, told you it would only take a short stint in the incubation unit."

I look closer at my hand, the same colour it's always been. Emerlit did say that, right after I boarded the Combat Cruiser. With a grin she declared I'd be healed in no time, but what about the invisible wounds? When I close my eyes, I can see the flames and feel the heat.

"Yeah," I mumble, "good as new."

Emerlit collects two containers. "Anabale and I are eating in main command, never done that before!" She grins. "See you later."

"Wait!" I shout, too eagerly and Emerlit stops promptly. I rub my neck. "Are we being pursued?"

"Nope. We left before Fendan's fleet arrived, he has no idea Cantral was at the base." Emerlit's grin widens. "All he knows is that the base got annihilated and his most trusted advisor is dead. He's probably going wild trying to figure out why."

I nod and lean my head back against the window. My eyes close and resume playback of my final moments on the base. There's chatter in the background, a quick exchange of words. Footsteps tap closer and then pause. There's a beep, a gentle clunk and the footsteps resume. Metal hits metal as something slides across the table towards me. I open my eyes, Daeanal is sat opposite.

"I sent you here to eat," Daeanal says, and he leans closer to peel the lid off my container. "When was your last meal?"

I shrug and take a mouthful. I remember hunger. I remember the comforting sensation of food in my belly. The tasteless mush disappears swiftly and Daeanal slides over another container.

"Cantral ..." I'm almost scared to ask. "She's okay?"

"She'll be right. This was nothing unusual, for an entra."

I nod and start on my second container. Nothing unusual for an entra, does that mean they don't get traumatised or that trauma is so deeply embedded into their beings they can't separate from it? I think latter, at least for some.

Daeanal's elbow rests upon the table and his smooth hairless chin presses against his fist. "How is Sask?"

I don't answer. Not immediately. The food before me becomes my sole focus, at least until thirst spikes. I reach for a canister of water and take a long drink. The spectrum of colour outside the window compels my attention for a moment. I never conceived it possible to travel faster than light.

"Not good," I say as I return the lid to the canister.

I resume eating. Tasteless, scentless, beige mush. Anyone who thinks plain can't be appealing doesn't have food sensitivity issues, they've never been properly hungry. I dig into the corners with my fork and scrape around the sides. My stomach is finally satisfied.

Daeanal stands. "Want to see Cantral?"

"Yeah," I whisper, so why do I feel so apprehensive?

Honestly, I'm scared. I'm stood on the precipice of a new chapter of my life, and the drop is daunting. Cantral is a good person, I know she is, even if she does need to work on herself, but what of her crew? What if they aren't better than the average cross section of entra society?

I walk beside Daeanal along the corridors of the Combat Cruiser. The doors to the docking bay loom ahead, and everything else fades away. Sask resides behind those doors. For a moment it becomes a little harder to move forwards. It becomes harder to breathe. I'm weighted by an immeasurable sadness. I stop and press my hands to my ears, but they can't block the voice in my head. Daeanal takes my wrist. He guides me forward and as we pass the docking bay the sadness fades a little.