In My Life . . .

Back to Diana's Space Cases Fanfic
Back to Part 2 of In My Life . . .

Click here to e-mail me!

“Do you remember Rosie? She’s another one of the Christa’s crew members, and she’s probably one of your best friends.”

Radu nodded excitedly. As soon as she’d started to name his crewmates, familiar faces had filled his memory, beginning to connect the shattered images that had plagued him for days. He knew there were still small pieces missing - situations, events that he just couldn’t place. But she’d assured him that would get better with time.

Suddenly, he felt a horrible sense of dread as the information Toma had given him connected with his memories for the first time. Elmira was going to be executed the next day. “I’ve got to get you out of here,” he said, jumping to his feet.

“But how?” She watched almost hopelessly as he picked up the chain holding her to the wall. They wouldn’t have made something out of a material that could be split by their own people, would they? In amazement, she realized that the links of the chain seemed to be separating easily.

“They wouldn’t expect us to go around freeing the prisoners,” he explained. “And usually, we wouldn’t - it’d only be an independent freak like me that would even consider such a thing.” He grinned like a little boy who had just made a painfully unfunny joke. “Come on - we’d better get back to the Christa.”

“Hold it right there!” At the voice, they both turned to see Toma standing in the doorway, his face a blend of anger and disbelief. “What do you think you’re doing?” He continued before Radu even had a chance to open his mouth. “I knew it! I knew you weren’t one of us! You? A YAASC cadet, helping our most valuable asset to escape? What is wrong with you?”

Instinctively stepping in front of Elmira, Radu tried to put on his most threatening face. “She’s not like the others,” he said firmly. “She’s good, and kind, and . . . and . . . and I love her.”

“You - what?” Toma had to bite his lip to keep himself from bursting into laughter. “You what? I must have heard you wrong! You can’t have just said that . . . ” The other’s face was still serious. “You - you don’t. You can’t!” He stepped angrily toward the two, knocking Radu to the ground. “She needs to die tomorrow!”

“But why? What will that prove?”

“You don’t understand - you didn’t live through the war. What they did to us - what her father did to us! It’s almost too horrible to remember.” His eyes grew cold. “I was on her father’s killcruiser. I saw what he did - the way he treated his slaves! I need to give him back some of the misery, some of the pain that he gave me!”

“Toma, you don’t understand!” Radu said. “She’s on our side!”

The older Andromedan suddenly shook himself as if waking up from a dream. “You’re right . . . ” he said slowly. “You’re right about her.” And I knew . . . all along. Noticing Radu looking at him curiously, he hung his head. “When I was - on her father’s cruiser, during the war . . . they treated us like dirt. We were still children - we were just starting to learn the basics of our own culture, and suddenly we were thrust into that atmosphere, with new rules and new faces all over again. It was a whole new experience for us - we’d learned that all community members were equal, and here we were, being treated as something less than garbage.”

“She was the only one that treated us like equals - she was a child, too, and I’d thought that she wasn’t old enough to have learned the proper way for Spung to behave. But I guess - I guess that’s just the way she is. You’re right - she isn’t a normal Spung. She’s better.”

Abruptly, he stepped aside, looking warily over his shoulder to make sure they were alone. “Go - get out of here. If anyone has any questions, you’re following my orders to transport her to the execution block outside the city limits - it’s almost that time anyway. And as far as I know, I never saw you leave.”

Radu stared at him, unable to understand his sudden change in character.

“Go, I said! Hurry - before I change my mind!”

“Come on, Elmira,” Radu said, unconsciously switching back to the universal language. “He says we can go.” He hurried out.

The next morning on the Christa started the same way as the boys’ days had begun since the first morning they had awakened on the ship:

CRACK! “Ow!”

“Another day, another bruise on Harlan’s forehead,” Bova said quietly, with a tone that suggested it was inevitable.

“I swear the ship must move that wall forward during the night so that it’s impossible for me to sit up without slamming my head into it,” Harlan muttered.

“Well, you always did say the ship was out to get you,” Radu said with a grin.

“Yeah, I guess you’re . . . huh?” Radu had to bite his lip to keep from laughing - he’d never seen an actual double take before. “Hey! When did you get here?”

“Well, it’s kind of a long story . . . but don’t worry. Elmira and I will tell everyone all about our adventures once we’ve had some breakfast - I’m starving!”

Harlan and Bova stared at each other. “Elmira?” Simultaneously, they turned to where their roommate had been standing - but he was already long gone.
“You can’t go yet!” Radu said sadly. “Why can’t we ever meet up in some kind of normal situation? Whenever we run into you, we’re always in the middle of some kind of adventure, and by the time the problem’s solved, you’re ready to leave again.” He looked on the verge of tears for the second time in a week.

“Radu, you know I have to go,” she said firmly. “My father has at least half the empire out looking for me. It’d be foolish for me to stay with your crew any longer - I’m putting all of you in danger by being here. If he found out where I’d been hiding . . . ” She shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about what he’d do to you.”

Stepping regretfully toward the landing bay airlock, she paused for a moment. “Suzee showed me how to use the communications equipment in the Christa’s shuttle,” she said softly. “I’ll send out a general call for a cruiser to come and pick me up once you’re safely off my radar screen. I should be fine - if I know Father, he’s keeping at least twenty frequencies open in case I decide to repent and go back.” Seeing the question in his eyes, she continued. “Don’t worry - since I’m calling for him to come and get me, he’ll assume that I’m sorry for what I’ve done and won’t even mention my leaving the cruiser in the first place. He’s learned that I’m not much use to him when I’m hurt.”

On impulse, she took a step back toward him. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered. “And don’t worry - somehow, we’ll find a way to be together. Remember what I told you - it’s our destiny. Our fate. And fate is never wrong.”