Beyond the Stars: INEO (42 page)

Tyden’s eyes instantly met Gaelan’s and Zaric’s. “We’re under attack from a Grulanti Marplan ship,” he reported.

Gaelan turned to me. “Great, now I’m starting to regret telling Vita to hold off on notifying the Guardian Fleet. For once, their services might have been useful,” he said under his breath.

Pascal rotated his seat to face Tyden. “They’ve deployed more weapons at us, sir.”

I nervously looked at Gaelan. “What does that mean?”

“It means we need to get a move on it. A Marplan vessel is a warship. It’s fast and it’s loaded with weaponry.”

“Fire at will,” Tyden instructed the cadets seated along the borders of the room. “Keep them busy so we can get some headway.”

I had never seen anyone sitting at those stations until now.

“Pascal, how are the shields holding up?” Gaelan asked him while he paced over to his station.

A stream of data was flying across Pascal’s screen.

Pascal looked up, over his shoulder, and quickly responded. “Good, no damage. We’ve been able to deflect everything so far.”

Tyden concurred as he paced across the room. “Their detonations are too out of range to take us out, and although we haven’t sustained any
substantial
damage, their strikes are disrupting our navigation. I won’t be able to put us into hyper-drive until we stabilize. I don’t want our ship to fly like a rotating turbine that’s been cut loose.”

“Can we outrun them?” Zaric offered.

“I’m working on it,” Tyden answered, still maintaining his stately demeanor, despite the chaotic state of the room.

The ship jerked with another hit forcing us to find our balance. I gripped the armrest of a nearby chair and sat down. The strike seemed more serious and had caused even more warning lights to flash and blink on the surrounding control panels. I rubbed my ears after they were left tingling from the intense vibration caused by the harrowing blow.

Gaelan looked at Tyden. “Let me try a change of course,” he said to him.

I had seen Gaelan in action back on Kataria. He was remarkable when it came to evasive maneuvers.

“She’s all yours,” Tyden responded, signifying he was handing over the helm to Gaelan.

Tyden conferred with the line of cadets and gave them suggestions to guide them in executing their counter attack. He only stopped to hold onto the back of their chairs whenever the ship shook. The crew moved somewhat frantically and swiftly. I felt honored to witness such flawless teamwork in action. Yes, we might get blown to bits, but at least we would go down fighting.

Gaelan shouted over the other’s voices as he held up his communicator to his lips and stated, “Attention all crew: stay secured, if you aren’t already,” he paused to smile at his untimely joke. “We are going to take a dip, in three, two, one—”

He quickly took a seat beside me and braced the armrest. Without hesitation, the ship made a steep vertical dive before it banked on its right side.

“Holy smoke!” I yelled as I clung onto my chair for dear life. I hoped I wouldn’t pull its bolts out of the floor. I couldn’t breathe.
I might pass out, queasy now.
I hated flying. Hated it! I prayed it would stop. Every sudden movement felt like death.

A moment later, the ship leveled out and the floating black dots in front of my eyes began to fade as I regained full consciousness and my stomach came out of my throat. My fingers were ice cold from holding on so tightly.

“You did it,” Azil cheered. “They’re gone.”

I looked up and didn’t see the attacking ship on the viewer screen. I fought to regain my composure and sat up in my seat.

Tyden ordered, “All eyes to the screens. We need to take care to check every coordinate.”

Everyone worriedly searched the screen as it flashed with different images of Space. The Grulanti ship was nowhere to be found.

“Good,” Gaelan said, with his eyes attentive to the viewer. “Now, let’s get underway before they catch up. Where did you draft our escape route?” Gaelan asked Tyden while he studied the star map in front of us.

Tyden tapped on the upper right corner of the map. “Right here. The conditions are perfect for opening a port key.”

My head hit the back of my chair when our ship rotated to place us in the dead center of the star map. I knew Gaelan must have aimed us towards the desired spot.

Gaelan turned and gave me a mischievous grin. He probably knew his maneuver startled me. “Sorry about that,” he murmured.

I held up my hand to decline the apology. “Understood.”

“Hey, guys,” Pascal called out with trepidation. “We’ve got a problem.”

The room fell silent. Everyone brought their attention back to the viewer. It showed an approaching Grulanti ship. It appeared even bigger than the one before.

“It can’t be,” Zaric said with disbelief. “We lost them.”

Pascal rotated his seat away from his monitor. “It isn’t … It’s not the same ship. It was already here,” he explained. “It appears to have come out from behind that ringed planet. The planet’s magnetic field disrupted our sensors. I didn’t see it until now. The Grulanti probably had it in place in case of disputes.”

Azil exhaled loudly. “Great, we fell right into their trap.”

Gaelan turned to me in a rush. I recognized the glint in his eyes. It was the same one he had when he believed he had thought of something brilliant. “Sami, you are our only chance. I would appreciate your help right now. We need to get over here in a hurry.” He pointed to the screen. “Do you understand what I am asking of you? If there ever was a time to use it, it’s now.”

The way he said ‘time’ reminded me of Jack’s warning,
it’s almost time.
I knew he wanted me to drive the ship. He was still impressed by my ability to reach the targeted endpoints in record time that day in the flight simulator.

“Huh? No, no way,” I huffed. “I don’t want to be responsible for killing us all.” I was astounded that he would even ask. I had little control when it came to piloting, especially when we were about to resume battle with an oncoming Grulanti warship.
No pressure there.
“We could evacuate.”

Gaelan shook his head. “There isn’t time.”

Tyden bolted across the room to retrieve an earpiece controller. “Here, Samantha. It’s your destiny,” he said, handing it to me as if it was nonnegotiable.

My jaw fell open when he seconded Gaelan’s request. “Tyden, please, not you, too,” I pleaded for him to take it back. How could he say it was my destiny, for what—to die?

Tyden gave me a reassuring look as he took the seat beside me. “You must,” he implored. “You
can
do this. I have witnessed your amazing ability to harness your mental energies, remember? Tune into the power inside you, just like we had practiced. All you have to do is listen to our instructions. We will guide you through it. I trust you.” His voice was surprisingly calm, despite our threatened existence. He must have thought the benefits to using the Ineo outnumbered the risks.

I felt the weight of impatient eyes surrounding me from all directions in the room, awaiting my response. I knew it would be wrong to say no and I didn’t want to give up. I’d made it this far. I was still alive for a reason. I thought about Gaelan and Tyden’s request. I would do anything for Gaelan and for all of the people I loved aboard this ship. It was my responsibility to help set things right. It was probably the reason I’d been granted the Ineo’s presence in the first place, but fear of delivering our ship into an unknown region of Space plagued my brain. I would either be our savior if I used the Ineo correctly or our executioner if I screwed it up.
Lord help me!

Pascal called out anxiously, “they are getting closer.”

“Okay, I can do this,” I said. I took a deep breath and attached the controller snuggly to my ear.

Without delay, Gaelan said in a soothing voice, “I’m handing the controls over to you, right … now.”

“Yes, I got it,” I said, trying to maintain my poise.

I tried to hide being startled when the weighted load of the ship’s steering transferred over to me. I turned the ship slightly to the left to reconfirm I had the helm. My actions always seemed heavier when I steered. I still wondered if it was normal or just my technological inferiority.

Tyden spoke in a steady tone. “You need to adjust our trajectory to keep them from coming straight at us.”

With Gaelan on one side and Tyden on the other, I prayed they wouldn’t let me fail. I stared at the fast moving vessel on the screen. Its closing distance was impossible to ignore. I rotated us with a jarring turn to the right to clear us from its path. Within seconds, the enemy vessel readjusted its coordinates to match.

“We’re done,” Zaric said flatly.

Gaelan touched my shoulder. “Block them out. Concentrate only on our ship. Now, take us right here,” he instructed me, while he pointed again to our goal.

“Think with clarity,” Tyden told me calmly in his deep voice.

I fought to focus on the task. I knew that I needed to picture us already being at our final destination.
Pretend we are there,
I thought.
Believe firmly.

A cadet shouted from his station, “Sir, they are firing on us. It is a different kind of blast—larger and multifocal. We may not be able to sustain our shields if we’re hit dead on.”

Warning lights blinked and alarms sounded from every station in the room with the incoming explosions.

Tyden ordered, “Fire,” to the cadets.

“Sami, please.” Gaelan leaned in closer to me. “I’ve seen you do it before, now do it once more—
for me,”
he pleaded.

Everyone started clamoring at once, trying to search for a possible solution. The ringing alarms were difficult to ignore. I gasped when I saw a line of huge metal balls drawing near like giant grenades. They were enormous and encompassed our entire viewing screen. They seemed close enough to touch. I got angry thinking our lives could soon be over. I didn’t come this far to get blown up. I was ready to fight.
Concentrate harder.

Pascal warned in a loud voice, “Their weapons will have contact in seven, six, five, four …”

“
No!”
I shouted at the top of my lungs, leaping from my chair. I directed all of my energy to pull forth the Ineo’s force. With my changing mindset, I felt my spine involuntarily stiffen and my skin flush with heat. It came on so strong I gasped. It felt as though my feet had lifted off the floor. The Ineo was in control.

Suddenly, the entire room and the oncoming ammunition halted. Everyone and everything froze as though they were suspended in time—motionless. I appeared to be the only one who was unaffected. Channeling the power of Ineo, I knew it was now or never. It was working,
now focus.
I boldly decided to create the thing I desired most—to be home. It was the opportunity I’d been waiting for—to restore my life.

As fast as thought, I imagined our ship returning safely to Earth. Seeing Leah and Jackson again and how I would tell them all about my crazy adventures. I envisioned Gaelan lovingly at my side and pictured having a wonderful future with him. Take me home.

As I held the vision in my mind, a burst of powerful, bold energy flooded throughout my entire body bringing with it a surge of hyperawareness. My blood rushed. Heat poured through me like never before. I basked in the warm, heavenly sensation while I harnessed its loving force to add fuel to the lifelike dream. I knew I was on the right track. My desires increasingly grew sharper in my head and helped me to imagine how great I would feel if I suddenly had everything I wanted—safety for our ship, Earth on the horizon, the love of my friends and family and, most importantly, the satisfaction of having it all,
right now!

My body started to tingle. I watched in awe when I realized my body was no longer solid. My physical form had changed into a transparent state of matter. My cells appeared to be separated into tiny gas-like particles of glowing multicolored lights. I felt suspended—not of this world. I lifted my eyes and saw the faces and bodies of those around me broken into the same translucent molecules as well. They, too, looked like rainbows. Even their clothes were divided into small cellular units. My perception of being a solid mass, which was incapable of change, was quickly disregarded after I saw the world from this bizarre, almost incomprehensible viewpoint. We were nothing but bits of energy.

I concentrated on my desire while I firmly believed in the power of all there is and ever was—the force behind my existence—the fuel of life. I felt connected to everything and everyone. I knew I wasn’t dead. The Ineo radiating through me made me feel safe. A blissful, euphoric sensation rushed through my body. It made me feel truly alive. I didn’t feel limited by time or space. It was as though all life and time existed simultaneously, harmoniously, and I had the choice to choose where I wanted to be. I closed my eyes and solidified my decision in my mind once more. The materialized image zipped into a whirlwind of blurred, blended colors before it was blotted out with a burst of strong white light. Then I heard an unfamiliar voice in my head. At first, I thought it sounded as though it was trying to impersonate Jack, but this time I knew it wasn’t him. It was the Ineo entity.

“You chose wisely,” it said. “You did not seek retaliation, only your safety. You use your free will with grace. You have proven yourself worthy to join us. Will you accept our offer?” It asked.