Split Between Stars

Sleepless Nights

"Can't sleep?"

Danny jumped at the quiet voice, jerked out of his thoughts. He turned from his place at one of the wide windows to see Jax'i, one of the older Halpha boys. He looked wide awake, despite the late hour. 

"Oh, hey. You scared me there," Danny replied. "What are you doing up?"

"Could ask you the same thing."

Danny shrugged, eyes flicking back to the view. Jax'i leaned against the window, staring out at the endless expanse of stars and distant planets. They sat in companionable silence for awhile. 

"It's my family," Danny finally said. 

"You miss them." 

It wasn't a question. Jax'i's soft voice was a calm confirmation of Danny's thoughts. It was a voice that knew what that hollow, cold ache felt like. 

"It's stupid, I know," Danny sighed, leaning against the cool window. "They're safe at home, and I'm safe here. Sam and Tuck are probably back at school. Jazz will be back to her senior project. Mom and dad...I just wish there was some way to tell them that I'm okay."

A sudden guilty pang ran through Danny. Jax'i had no family waiting for him. He must sound so selfish talking about this. But the Halpha didn't look offended.

"I wish I could say I knew how you felt," Jax'i mused. "But none of us really know what you're going through. We've all lost one family, but never two. In some ways it's nice to know that no one is missing us. Makes it easier."

The words trailed off into silence. 

The stars beyond the window twinkled brilliantly, looking close enough to touch, but still unreachable. Danny felt the pull to the unknown that he had felt all his life. The urge to delve into those sparkling, inky depths of space. 

Yet another wish that was now impossible. 

A sudden memory of something Vlad had said came back to Danny. 

"Hey, is it alright if I ask you something?" 

"I don't have anything better to do at this hour," Jax'i replied, a dry smile twisting his mouth. 

"Vlad said that he once tried to take you all outside the compound once. He made it sound like something bad happened, but I never got to know what it was..." he trailed off hopefully.

Jax'i stiffened, eyes flicking nervously left and right. He looked like he had seen a ghost. 

"Uh... if it's too personal you don't have to-" Danny backtracked quickly. 

Jax'i shook his head. 

"No, it's okay. You should know."

He leaned back against the window and took a deep breath before beginning. 

"It was a few years ago. Three or four by now. There was a meteor shower that was going to pass the area. We couldn't see it from here, and Vlad thought that it had been long enough since Halpha for us to go out safely."

He gave a grim chuckle at the thought. 

"We were all so excited. It had been so long since we had been able to leave the compound. It was all the kids could talk about for weeks. Finally the day came, and we all loaded into Vlad's ship. Everything was fine. We were flying to a nearby moon to watch the meteors pass by."

His face darkened. 

"We never made it that far."

"Space Corps?" Danny asked quietly. 

Jax'i shook his head, eyes beginning to glow faintly. 

"No. They're not the only ones looking for Halphas. We were about an hour away from home when the bounty hunters appeared. A little ship started following us. At first I thought they were just going to the same moon as us. But then another showed up. And another. Soon there was a swarm on our tail."

Danny could almost see it. A ship full of frightened children all staring out windows at their predators. Jax'i's eyes were glazing as he went back in time, immersing himself in the memory.

"Vlad tried to outrun them and did a good job. We were able to get away from all the ships but one. But that was still bad enough. It sent an EMP through our ship, blacking out our power. It was... That was one of the worst moment of my life. Some of the kids were crying, everything was dark, and we could all hear this awful scraping, buzzing sound of something breaking in. It was like being back in that escape pod."

Jax'i's hands clenched into tight fists. 

"The bounty hunter broke through right as the emergency lighting kicked in. I'll never forget how he looked. A black and red suit, too many guns and knives to count, and a mask with glowing red eyes. I'll never know what species it was. But we all knew it was a monster. He darted most of us before we knew what was happening. I fell and tried to hide. I was hit, trying to keep hidden, to see a way out. But he was blocking the exit. He was bending down, about to shoot something into one of the kids."

His eyes closed in almost reverence. 

"And then Vlad stood up. I've never seen him angrier before or since. He didn't even use any blood. He attacked the bounty hunter with his bare hands. He pulled him away from us, forcing him out of the shuttle and out of sight. I still don't know what happened to the bounty hunter. All I know is that I woke up back at home, and we've never tried to leave since."

He fell silent, eyes fixed on Danny. 

"I... I never thought that it was anything like that," Danny whispered. "Was everyone okay?"

"No one was seriously injured," Jax'i sighed. "But it broke our hearts. We had it. A moment of freedom. Just a second when we thought we might be safe outside of home. I think that learning how wrong we were hurt more than anything that bounty hunter did."

They both looked away form each other, out into the void. 

"I guess that's part of being a Halpha," Danny said quietly. 

He stood up, unable to look at the unattainable stars anymore. 

"Thanks for telling me that. I needed to hear it."

Jax'i nodded, not looking at him. Danny started down the dark hall back to his room, wondering how long Jax'i would stay at the window. Wondering if he played over those memories on his sleepless nights.