AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * * *
I brushed a hand over the bloodstain on my chest. How had that happened? The ovwet must have fought me, but I had no recollection of it. I remembered entering the cabin this morning and pulling the blaster when she emerged from the cleansing unit. Obviously, I’d shot her, but I didn’t remember firing the weapon.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only gap in my memory, and, just as disturbing, was what I did remember.
Why had I fed her, knowing I would be killing her? Why cover her while she slept? Why had I sat there for hours watching her sleep?
A motion on the view screen drew my attention. The exterior lights from the ship caught a wrapped human-sized bundle floating off the starboard side. I recognized the cover from the ovwet’s bed and the blonde hair splaying out of one end of the bundle.
“Perfect,” Seeher said. “Well done. I’ll take the blaster back now.”
I handed her the weapon.
* * * *
Seeher’s foresight and planning continued to impress me. Waiting to discharge the body until after we’d cleared Nomoru space and no other ships were around had been a wise move. Often, it wasn’t the big mistakes that led to one’s downfall but the small errors. Every detail mattered. A consummate planner, Seeher accounted for everything.
We cruised toward a destination unknown to me. She didn’t volunteer where we were going, and I knew better than to ask. Information flowed from the top down. When I had a need to know, she would tell me. Adherence to the rules, particularly secrecy, was critical to achieving mission objectives. The GJW would usher in unity and cooperation by creating chaos, but to achieve our aims we had to be cohesive, organized, and disciplined.
As a lieutenant in charge of a unit, I’d upheld the rules, relaying only the information required. Of that, I was certain. So why couldn’t I recall any specific, successful missions?
The gaps bedeviled me. I wracked my brain, but the only operation that came to mind was one aborted raid. I’d been mobilizing a unit of warriors preparing to storm Relia, the capital of Aurelia, when I’d been captured.
I glanced at Seeher. She appeared to be studying the vacant ship, her eyes darting from one monitor to another, her fingers flying over the camera controls. What is she looking for?
I saw nothing of interest in the empty galley and mess hall, the cargo hold, the evac pod launch bay, the engine room, the observation lounge, crew quarters, and five of the six passenger staterooms. One stateroom couldn’t be viewed because I’d knocked out the comm system.
I returned my attention to outer space. There were billions of stars and trillions of planets in the galaxy, yet space appeared mostly empty. Blank.
Like much of my mind.
Should I report my lack of recall? Confess that I didn’t remember killing the human or jettisoning her body? Did the memory lapses matter as long as I performed? Obviously I’d killed her as ordered. We’d seen the body drift by the ship.
But what if my amnesia jeopardized another mission? I studied the bloodstain on my uniform. It kind of resembled a handprint. Had the ovwet pleaded for her life? Bringing an enemy to her knees should have been memorable.
If you are not with us, you are against us.
Would my forgetfulness be deemed a threat? Could I end up a body adrift in space? I’d pledged allegiance to the Galactic Justice Warriors. In the battle to save the galaxy, I would surrender my life. But that didn’t mean I wished to die. Better to live to fight another day.
I’ll keep my lapse to myself for the time being. See how it goes. Maybe my memories will return.
“We should get a meal,” Seeher said, the first words she’d spoken since we’d spotted the body.
The mention of food reminded me of the banquet—and more gaps. I didn’t recall going there, only being there. I wouldn’t have gone to partake of a meal when I needed to rendezvous with Seeher. Nor even to take a hostage. Anyone along the escape route would have sufficed. So, what had drawn me?
Seeher’s antennas swiveled toward me. She expected a response.
“Yes, I’m hungry.” Suddenly, I was ravenous. I couldn’t remember the last meal I’d had. What is happening when I can’t remember when or if I’ve eaten?
Leaving the piloting of the ship to the AI, we left the bridge.
To my surprise, she marched past the galley/mess hall.
“I believe this is the gal—”
“We’ll come back to it. Let me check on something first.” She cut to the starboard side and marched to the cabin where the ovwet had been held. Pain splintered through my head as Seeher entered the room.
Motion sensors turned on the lights.
