The Thoughts Of A Wandering Mind

"Nebula's Heart -- Ajs An'hlj."

He does. He leaves and returns with the fastest steps I'd ever seen him make. With him, he brings my three generals: Bartus, Xavier, and Belinda. Each remove their crystal helmets from their armor, made of the same quartz, to look at me. Their eyes, bright as light and cold like ice, peer at me impatiently. I want to laugh, but I remind myself I am a leader -- their leader -- and they await my orders.

I pace in front of them, my bare feet slapping the metal floor of the room. Around us, the soft computer beats mask the sounds of our breathing. Lark takes it upon himself to monitor the shields, and announce they are closer than they were minutes before.

Was it only minutes?

"We will not give up her heart," I say, looking out at the purple and blue dust of our nebula. "There is no way."

"Alencia is under attack, Master Quinn. We've got soldiers around the attack ships, and we have our own in front of our shields. We are prepared if they attack, but only with your orders, sir," Belinda says, her blonde braid dancing on the floor as she sways nervously.

I look at her and her silver eyes. Between the three generals, she is the wisest. I nod at her words, pressing my hands into the folds of my own cloak. Lark says again that they've advanced, and they've sent a message. I disregard him, my eyes on Belinda, "Tell me, B," I say to her, "how soon can you dismantle their ships armor?"

"As soon as I take down their radar, Master," Bartus speaks. His eyes, as silver and bright as Belinda's, turn black for a second, before returning to their normal, beautiful hue. While Belinda is the brains of the trio, Bartus is definitely the brawn. He's tall, wide, with a very strong face. I admired him, and wish -- always wish -- to be as young as he is, if only a day.

"Lovely," I say to Bartus, and move my eyes to Xavier, who observes me in silence. The quiet one, he is, but the fastest to react. "And you, X, how quick can you take our their gunnars?"

"Fast as ever, mate," Xavier says with a wide grin. He presses his black hair down on his head but it won't stay -- it never does.

"Perfect," I say and spin on the ball of my feet. I stare out at the nebula, watching the colors that dance with the stars. I hum a quiet tune as the heart beats a tempo "And you, my love," I speak to the spirit of Ajs An'hlj, "What says you in this?"

Master -- my three generals complain behind me, and Lark with them. But they've never seen, nor waited to see. I raise my hand to silence them, and add a shhh for good measure. When they stop their bickering, I smile, and look back at the heart.

It doesn't beat now. It waits, as do I. They haven't noticed this, not yet. I can feel their eyes watching the back of my head, "My love," I say again, and touch the crystal capsule that houses her heart, "What says you?"

Outside the cockpits window, the nebula spins. Dancing. The colors swirl around like sand in water, and the stars litter the colors like shells on a beach. In the center, where the power pulls the mists in space, I see her shadow. Tall, voluptuous; She walks towards us on an invisible path, one that cuts through the black. Her dark hair floats around her, like snakes; my beautiful Medusa.

I stretch my fingers out towards the glass. "Ajs," I say with a smile, "You've come."

"My son," her voice fills the room, and behind me, my guardians' gasp. "You're in need?" she asks.

"I am, my love," I say as her face fills the window space. She's as large as our ship now. Her faces covers the nebula, and her heart -- the one I live to protect -- hammers within its capsule. Her large, red eyes scan the room."Be it the Hostiles?" She asks.

And I nod. "It is."

She chuckles and shakes her pale face. "My, my, and who caused this war?"

Bartus steps forward, quivering like a fool. His helmet drops to his feet, "M-my lady." He bows his head. "Ajs An'hlj, it is an honor."

"Oh, isn't he lovely?" Ajs laughs. "Will he answer my question, then?"

"I will!" Belinda stands beside me now, not as timid as her comrade. She smiles, her helmet firm in front of her. "The Hostiles did on their own. They've demanded your capture. We've denied it."

"Is that all?" Ajs laughs again and closes her eyes. Her shape returns to that of a normal woman. She's dressed in a white dress, one that swims around her, mixing with the dust of the nebula that houses her. She moves her delicate hands into three circles, her fingers bending into intricate shapes. She mutters words even I can't understand, and the floor of the ship rumbles.

"Ajs?" I look down at our feet. Beside me, Lark grabs my arm. "Master Quinn?"

Explosions sound outside the ship. The monitors in the room turn red. SOS signals fill their screens. The cockpit loses its gravity levels, and before Xavier can run to the panel to reestablish pressure, we're floating in air. I look up at Ajs, but she does not look at me. Her eyes are closed, her hands forever moving.

"What's going on?!" Belinda shrieks as she bounces off the ceiling.

"Quinn, Mate, stop this!" Xavier yells.

I wish they'd just be patient. There is another explosion, a third, and a forth. The ship rocks, and I stretch my arms out further to grasp the capsule of her beating heart. I can't let harm come to it. She sees me do this, and for a second, we lock eyes. Her red eyes meet mine, and I feel a fire fill my soul. I grin, look down at my hands. There's fire there, too. I felt it, the burning. In my hands was the power she conjured with her words.

Five more explosions rock the ship before it finally stops, and all of us come crashing down on the ground. The monitors stop their red signals. A quiet alarm echoes in the halls.

"It is done," Ajs says as she peers at us. "The Hostiles are gone. Each ship destroyed, swallowed into my nebula. Is there anything else, my children?"

I smile as Bartus, Belinda, Xavier, and Lark all bow their heads. They say their prayers and thanks to her, unable to believe she cleared a war in seconds: a war we spent weeks within. "Thanks, my love," I say to her as I clutch her capsule my hands. "We are forever in your debt."

"As always," she says with a smile, and wiggles her fingers at my hands. "Now, please put me down, so I may rest."

"Of course," I chuckle, and place the capsule back on its nest. Behind me, Belinda darts out into the hall, yelling, "I'm going to check on everyone!"

"Me too!" Xavier ran right after her.

Bartus and Lark did not leave my side. They watch, as I watch, Ajs and her walk down her invisible path. She steps into the dust as the nebula swirls and the stars turn bright. She waves at me once, and I wave back. I can't help but look at my hands. The fire that was in her, is in me. Had I always?

"She's real," Lark breaths as he watches her fade into the stars. "She's absolutely real."

"Of course she is, Lark," I say with a grin. "We power her heart."

"So that really is her heart, then?" Larks asks with a pointed finger. The question earns a slap from Bartus, one that pushes the young man forward. "You're dull! Of course it is!" Bartus spits.

I laugh. "Yes." I take in a breath. "The heart of Ajs An'hlj. Forever watching. Always protecting."