“It is,” Agnar replied around a mouthful.
They finished dessert and Agnar thanked the chef as they stood to leave. He complimented the food profusely, making her smile with pleasure. Karina, not understanding the language, felt a twinge of jealousy, which she quickly subdued. She refused to admit any real feelings toward Agnar, even to herself.
Agnar took her hand as they walked back to the ship. His hand was warm and comforting, and Karina decided not to pull away. She felt that she was strong enough to hold his hand without giving in to any romantic delusions about it. They walked along in silence, watching the alien sky. For the first time in a long time, Karina felt content.
They arrived at the ship and boarded. “Would you like to stay another day, or continue our journey to Earth?” Agnar asked as they reached Karina’s quarters. Karina was torn. She wanted to stay here forever, but she wanted to see Earth as well. She hesitated, thinking.
“Can we decide in the morning?” she asked.
“Sure. Sleep well.” Agnar gave Karina’s hand one last squeeze before letting go and heading to his own quarters.
Karina watched as he walked away. She couldn’t deny that Agnar was an attractive man. Her head tilted slightly as her gaze followed the line of his body. He reached his door and opened it, looking back down the corridor at Karina. He smiled impishly at her, and then entered his room, the door whooshing closed behind him. Karina realized she had been staring and blushed. She went into her room and lay on the bed, trying to sleep. Her thoughts were in chaos, and she had a feeling Agnar knew it. Being alone together was beginning to wear on her, and she was having trouble keeping her distance from him. They were months away from the Milky Way; how could she endure those months if she was weakening now?
Her mind in a jumble, she finally fell asleep, dreaming of Earth and the beauty of Yosemite. She found herself hiking the trails, backpack on, never tiring, never needing to stop to eat or sleep. Here in her element, she felt strong. She entered a clearing where something was tied to a tree. It was a man, his head drooped down on his chest, bleeding from numerous cuts all over his body. She took off her backpack and ventured closer, and the man lifted his head and glared at her accusingly. It was Tresar, and Karina’s hands closed into fists in horror. She felt something in her right hand, and looked down to see her fingers closed around the handle of a bloody knife.
“You did this to me.” Tresar’s whisper echoed around the clearing as he rasped out the words. “Don’t just stand there, finish it,” he demanded. He lifted his chin to expose his neck. “Do it!” he screamed.
Karina dropped the knife and stepped back. “No. No. No! No! NO!” She ran from him, screaming ‘no’ at the top of her lungs. She tripped on a root and fell. A strong hand lifted her up.
“Are you all right?” It was Agnar, and she stared at him mutely. “Wake up!” he yelled, shaking her.
Karina woke up in a sweat to find Agnar leaning over her and trying to shake her awake. “I’m awake! Stop it!”
Agnar let go of her and sat on the edge of her bed. “What was that all about? I could hear you yelling from my room.”
“Nightmare.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Okay.” Agnar got up to leave, but Karina grabbed his hand, forcing him to stay.
“Please. I don’t want to be alone.”
Agnar smiled reassuringly. “Scoot over.”
Karina made room for him on the bed and he put his arms around her, holding her tightly until they both fell asleep.
*
*
*
The next morning when Karina awoke, Agnar was gone. The spot in the bed next to her was still warm, so he hadn’t been gone long. She got up and changed out of her sleep shirt, choosing flowing trousers and a loose shirt. She checked his room, but he wasn’t there. She went to the refectory, but he wasn’t there either. She grabbed a piece of fruit and munched on it as she made her way up to the bridge. Agnar was nowhere to be found.
Figuring he’d turn up eventually, Karina went to the air lock. The open door let in the bright morning sun. Karina went outside and sat on the boarding plank, feeling the alien sun warm her face. She closed her eyes to better enjoy the sensation. Space travel made her miss sunlight, and she wanted to soak up as much as she could while she could. The plank vibrated and Karina opened her eyes. Agnar smiled at her as he approached, holding a container in his hand. He sat next to her and opened it.
“I thought you might enjoy something different for breakfast.”
The smell that wafted out of the container made Karina’s mouth water. The large pastry was warm and sweet, and Karina ate slowly, enjoying the medley of tastes in her mouth. Agnar shared, and for a few minutes they sat and ate in silence.
“So, did you decide whether to go or stay?” Agnar asked as he licked the last of the pastry off his fingers.
Karina thought for a moment. She wanted to stay here for awhile, but she wanted to see Earth more. She needed to determine what had happened while she was frozen in order to get some closure. She may have existed in stasis for the intervening years between the twenty-first century and now, but she felt as if she had been plucked from her own time and transported to the future. She hoped that seeing what happened to Earth would help her accept this new time and place.
She came to a decision and looked up at Agnar. “It’s beautiful here, but I’d like to go to Earth soon. You won’t be too disappointed if we leave now, will you?”
Agnar smiled and stood up, offering her his hand. She took it and he helped her up, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Not at all.” He led her into the ship, turning to palm the door plate and close the air lock. Karina took the opportunity to escape to her quarters.
“I’m still a little tired. I think I’ll take a nap.”
“I’ll be on the bridge,” Agnar replied.
*
*
*
Karina sat on the bridge, watching the stars plod along on the viewscreens. The trip back to Earth had been both the longest and shortest journey Karina had ever experienced. Time flew whenever she was around Agnar, but dragged when she spent time alone. Her conflicted emotions sent her teetering between the two in excessive amounts. She either spent entire days hanging out with him, or entire days alone in her quarters.
She could tell he wanted her, but he seemed to understand her need for space, and so kept his feelings to himself. She appreciated it, but at the same time found her attraction for him growing. She still felt the echo of his burning lips on hers from their last kiss.
During the journey Karina concentrated on studying the unigraphy texts that Agnar had given her. They were translated from Stelairian texts, and contained more knowledge of the universe than the combined knowledge obtained by the rest of the species. Megg had given them to Agnar, and he had used them to find new species to fleece. Karina grinned, remembering what Agnar had said when he handed her the tablet.
“Give a pirate a complete map of the universe, and he’ll see new territories to plunder. What did she expect from me?”
“So that’s how you found Earth?” Karina asked.
“And how I learned your language,” Agnar replied. “It’s all on the unigraphy tablet. Handy thing to have.”
Karina scoured the texts, and was fascinated to discover that her solar system, and even her star, had a name. Earth’s sun was known to the Stelairians as Helios, and the solar system as the Olympian Solar System. Karina recognized the names from her Greek and Roman mythology college courses, and wondered how much influence the Stelairians had on early human culture. If they showed themselves, it was quite possible that they would have been considered gods. Karina chuckled. It wouldn’t surprise her to discover that Megg had been the Greek goddess Hera.
They had arrived at the edge of the Milky Way last week, and Agnar had shut down the distortion drive and initiated the ship’s regular propulsion system. The propulsion drive was more efficient than the star and system drives that she had grown used to while traveling with Tresar. She snorted, thinking how Tresar had so casually dismissed her over the premier’s death.
Hearing her, Agnar looked up from the helm. “Yes?” he questioned.
Karina shook her head and laughed. “No, I wasn’t trying to get your attention. I was just thinking about Tresar.”
“Ah. Still mad at him?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be? If he had been in a similar situation, he would have done the same thing. But because he’s never had to choose his own well-being over another’s life, he can’t imagine being justified in killing someone. And so he judges me for having to make that decision.” Karina snorted again, irritated at Tresar’s closed-mindedness.
“I wouldn’t worry about it, he’s thousands of light-years away.” Agnar pointed at a small blue dot on the forward viewscreen. “Worry about that, it’s closer.”
Karina looked up at the viewscreen. Her heart seemed to jump in her chest. “Earth!” she exclaimed.
“Yes,” Agnar replied, smiling at her excitement.
Earth grew rapidly as they sped toward it. Soon they were over it, and Karina could see the continents and oceans. The ice she remembered had melted, and Earth bloomed with greenery. As they flew over the planet, she noticed that the shapes of the continents were slightly different from what she remembered. “Agnar, it looks as if the oceans are larger than normal.”
Agnar scanned the planet, watching as the data scrolled down his screen. “Huh.”
“What?” Karina demanded, worried by his tone.
“Earth isn’t where it was the last time I was here. It’s orbiting a little closer to the sun. And the moon is a bit closer to Earth than it was. I wonder what happened?”
“Maybe its orbit was affected when the comet hit,” Karina suggested.
“Possibly.” He shrugged, dismissing the small changes as irrelevant. “Are you ready to go down now?”
“Absolutely,” Karina replied.
Agnar steered the ship toward the planet. “Uh, oh,” he said. “We have company.” He stopped the ship and initiated the masking device to hide them from the two ships he was reading on the scanner.
“What company?” Karina asked.
Agnar scanned the ships on the ground near the ruined city where he had intended to land. “Ha! It’s a Stelairian Cruiser and a Yalsan science vessel.” He checked the ships for life readings. “Nothing from the Stelairian ship. It must be shielded. One Earthling and a bunch of Yalsans on the Yalsan ship,” he said.
“An Earthling!” Karina exclaimed.
“Yes. Male. Friend of yours?”
“No. It must be one of the Lazarus League men,” Karina said. “And the Yalsans are probably the same ones who confronted Flavoi and Tresar after they rescued me.”
“Huh. Well, this makes my plan more difficult. Not much more difficult, though, since they’re all on their ships and nowhere near the League building.”
Karina eyed Agnar suspiciously. “What plan?”
Agnar grinned. “Why, my plan to rob the Lazarus League, of course. All those jewels they had must still be in that building.”
“And how do you suggest we get to it with the other ships parked outside the city? The minute we leave this ship, our life readings will be detectable to them.”
“Not necessarily,” Agnar replied, crooking a finger at Karina. “Come with me.”
He led her off the bridge and down a corridor, past the living quarters, to a part of the ship she had never been before. He rounded a corner that ended in a single door. He grinned and palmed the entrance plate. The door whooshed open to reveal a small room. Junk was piled everywhere. Karina walked in and examined the junk more carefully.