Voyage of the Star Killer

Chapter 15

Section One: A Sad Farewell

Gireau caught the empath before she hit the floor, lifting her in his arms. "Gods, Serena. I should have never let you go down there. Damnation!" He eased her onto the couch, grimacing as he felt her cool palm along his jaw. Turning his head, he kissed her fingers. "Enough." He left unspoken his concern for her, helping her sit.

"I'm fine. The security team did their job well, and the traitors are secured in the brig. But you already know that. It isn't good."

Serena braced herself on his shoulders, barely upright. "The children - it was a colony ship. There were over 15,000 people onboard. The children only heard sounds of battle. They don't know how bad it was." 

She shivered at the memories she held. "The adults - some of the women are strong. They're truly survivors. They'll need counseling. I was able to take some of their pain, dampen their memories, but without professional help, they won't be able to move forward."She leaned into his hand as he cupped her cheek; his fingers wiped her tears. She broke contact, straightening. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should use this - this ability to do some good for once."

Gireau jerked his chin, leaning forward. "No. Maybe not. If this is what you go through - if you have to suffer - then no. Absolutely not." 

 Serena shook her head. "Then maybe I should go home for a while. Put in an official request for a leave of absence." She clenched her fists, hiding their shaking in her lap. "I need to learn more control, Captain. I can do so much - have learned to, in order to protect myself. But some of the diplomats and their escorts have talked to me about my abilities. Dame Meniere suggested I visit her planet for a while. They have entire schools dedicated to the art of empathy. They also have schools for telepathy and other abilities." 

She abruptly stood and began pacing. "To learn everything, though, I'd have to be gone for half a year, maybe more." She shared her thoughts aloud, smiling sadly at what she knew would follow.

Gireau sprang to his feet. "What? No."

"It was your suggestion, Captain. I can learn on my own, and add in the psychology classes, or I can leave - just for a while." She held up a hand to stop him in his tracks even as he stomped after her. 

"You can't leave, Serena. I need you here." His hand cut aimlessly through the air, encompassing the entire ship. 

"I can. We're six days away from the closest space station. I can get transport from there and I'd get to learn with some of the best - strongest - empaths." She stepped toward him, already feeling his anger driving a wedge between them. 

"Psychology classes can be done here, onboard. We could work out a different schedule for you, allowing you to study." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "But you wouldn't get the training you need." Gireau's head slumped forward as he admitted, "I feel like I just found you."

Serena slid her hands around him and rested her head against his back. It was a copy of the move she'd done less than 24 hours before. "I've been here, beside you, and I'll be back by your side soon. It's only six months, right?"

Gireau snorted his disbelief and fisted his hands so he wouldn't shake her senseless. "Serena, those will be the longest six months of my life."

Serena immediately let go; his anger burned her, tore into her. Sorrow flooded her being. "I've been patient, wife, ever since we got married, waiting for you to be ready, to forget Venturie. Now you want to run away." He rammed a hand through his hair and squeezed the back of his neck. 

Serena's hands rose in a gesture of surrender; she didn't want to argue, and at this point she just needed to find relief from his emotions. Her captain, so reserved, controlled and tightly wound, was lost in his feelings.