Star Crossed Teaser

I was thinking about Edward’s diplomatic solution for the Alphan problem. I was hoping that he would forget it and that the Alphans would eventually kill themselves.

They deserved it.

Where were all of these violent thoughts coming from? This isn’t you, Nirabelle, I chastised myself. I was always one for trying to be the diplomat. In school, I was always the one that would settle disputes between my classmates. Even my father would come to me as I got older to discuss quarrels between land owners, decisions made with the Assembly of Nobles and arguments between members of our staff. I was always able to see both sides and think outside of the box. This thing with the Alphans, since Maralice was taken and her choice taken away, not to mention what they did to the colonists on H’Nan and the trap they set on their ship, I couldn’t see anything other than revenge.

And let’s not forget what they did to my father.

I wanted to gut Jakob like a pisc, his innards tumbling out of his body and his screams echoing in the throne room as he bled out.

“I don’t like what your mind is thinking,” Edward said as he walked into our suite. He looked tired, but determined. “You have every right to be upset and to want revenge on the Alphans, but what does that do?”

“It would make me feel better,” I muttered, curling up on the couch.

“Temporarily, but in the long run, you would feel guilty,” Edward said, sitting down in front of me. He took my hands in his. “Jakob deserves to die for what he has done, but the rest of the Alphans don’t deserve the same fate.”

“What about the monsters who took Alice’s honor?” I asked, glaring at him. “They deserve a fate worse than death.”

“I agree with that, too,” Edward said, pulling me into his lap. “But, we don’t know enough about the Alphans to judge them all the same way. I hate them for what they did to you, to Maralice and to our planet, but we cannot let this prejudice sign their death certificate.”

I sighed, leaning my head against his shoulder. “You’re right,” I whispered. “How did it go with Norex?”

“We have a lot to discuss about him,” Edward said, his eyes dimming and his face flushing. “I want to change and get something to eat. My appetite is nearly back and I’m craving a huge steak.” I nodded, putting in an order to the kitchen. He went into our bedroom, presumably to change. I didn’t know what a steak was, but the chef had something that would appease Edward’s craving. My chef had been reading up on human cuisine since the arrival of the Volvo and the rest of the Federation ships. He was excited at trying new dishes and the Federation database was filled with new recipes for him to try.

Walking back into the living room area of the suite, Edward was dressed in some loose-fitting pants and a casual shirt. He had his phaser clipped to his hip and his communicator affixed to his shirt. “Do you want to talk about Norex before or after we eat?” he asked, pulling me into a large chair and cradling me in his arms.

“After. I want to enjoy some quiet time with you before I hear about my hateful uncle,” I said, snuggling into his arms. He held me tightly, his cheek pressed to my hair. I reached up and caressed his skin, feeling the prickliness of his facial hair. He sighed, tightening his hold on me. “Do you think I’m weak?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Never,” he almost growled. “Bella, you are the strongest person I’ve ever met. You are handling all of this with so much power and grace.”

“Then, why is everything falling apart?” I sniffled. “Why do I feel like I’m losing all control?”

“Because, in a way, you are. And it’s not your fault,” Edward soothed. “This war has been going on for hundreds of years. We don’t know why. Hopefully, the stealth ships will gather that information from Lapus.”

“I thought that the Federation didn’t have cloaking technology,” I said.

“We don’t. They are very small ships that cannot be detected by satellites. They are a part of the War Fleet, housed in the larger battle cruisers. The cruisers usually remain hidden behind an asteroid or moon while the stealth ships gather pictures, information and download data from enemy computers. They are not designed for long-distance travel. Short range, interplanetary and not built for fighting. They are fact-finding machines with huge computers for such tiny ships.”

“What do you hope to find in their computers?”

“The truth about how they got to Forx. Why they are so hell-bent on the Cygnarians? Proof of Jakob’s deal to buy you,” he said darkly. 

War Fleet Battle Cruiser

Stealth Ship