Page 44 of Alien Haven

Mitag still hovered, concern spelled clearly on his handsome features. His desire to somehow help was obvious. “I wish you would anyway. I hate seeing you so freaked out. I like you, Ilid.”

“Don’t.” Ilid immediately regretted how harsh he sounded when Mitag winced. He gripped the Imdiko’s shoulder in apology. “I’d be a waste of effort.”

“How can you say that? Maybe I don’t know you well yet, but you’re clearly a wonderful man.”

“I’m an okay man. I’m a shitty Dramok. Probably the worst you’ve met.”

Mitag stared in confusion. “Because you had a nightmare?”

“Because I’m afraid every second of every day.” Admitting it gave him a sense of relief. Pretending he was someone he wasn’t, a strong Dramok in command of his life, was too much of a burden. Ilid considered wearing a sign bearing the words he’d spoken:I’m always afraid.

“What are you afraid of?”

No dismay. No disgust. Mitag kept gazing at him, his expression a study of gentle compassion and caring.

Ilid had to set this Imdiko straight. He thought Mitag was wonderful too. Wonderful enough to find a real Dramok to commit to, the Dramok he deserved to be the clanmate of.

Ilid sat up and rested his back against the lounger’s padded backrest. “I encountered the Darks during my service to the fleet. They took control of my ship. The officers, a lot of the crew, the medical staff…” He thought of Umen standing next to him, a laser cutter in his hand. “I can see the Darks. They wanted to know why, so they experimented on me.”

“Mother of All,” Mitag breathed, gaping in horror. “Why haven’t I heard of this?”

“I was on a spyship in a place a Kalquorian presence wasn’t supposed to be.”

He watched as the pieces clicked together for Mitag. “Bi’is? You were there when…when they were killed off?”

“Maybe. I’m uncertain what was happening on the planet while my ship was under the Darks’ domination.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone of your mission.”

“Honestly, I no longer care who knows.”

Mitag gazed at him, compassion pouring from his eyes. “You were among the first to witness the presence of the Darks, weren’t you?”

“Unfortunately. I watched men I knew and trusted become utter strangers. I was surrounded by the Darks’ shadows. If my rank hadn’t been so low, my job so unimportant, they would have grabbed me too. Instead, I was forced to see things that made no sense.”

“To have encountered the utterly unknown, to have watched commanding officers and shipmates turn into hostile people draped in shadows…” Mitag shook his head. “You must have thought you were going insane.”

He got it. Ilid relaxed at his reaction.

“Obviously, I managed to escape. Mostly. A part of me is still on my former vessel though. Maybe it always will be.”

“How did you get away?”

“An Imdiko orderly helped. They got him when we were caught trying to reveal the Darks to the empire, to warn Kalquor of the hostile presence.” He swallowed, remembering Darir disappearing under a tide of furious Darks. “My ship blew up as I raced off in a shuttle. I was the only survivor.”

Fresh horror dawned on Mitag’s features. “I’m so sorry, Ilid.”

“I have nightmares, some worse than tonight’s. When I’m awake, I can’t stop searching for the damned Darks no matterwhere I go.” Even as he spoke, Ilid’s gaze swept the well-furnished room displaying Mitag’s good taste. The initial hint of morning had begun to gray the sky beyond the Imdiko’s window. The room had a few shadows, but they were mundane. Nonthreatening. He stared at each in turn anyway.

Mitag moved so his face filled Ilid’s view. “Darks haven’t infiltrated Haven. The officials here have protocols to keep them out, people standing guard. We have women who can hear them and those like you who can see them. We’re always on alert. No one comes to the planet unless they’ve been thoroughly vetted.”

“I understand that. It’s why the fleet sent me here when my parents thought up the idea of opening a bakery for me to manage. This is their grand plan so I won’t try again to kill myself because I can’t handle what the Darks did to me.”

Mitag’s eyes brightened. He whispered Ilid’s name.

Ilid shook his head. “I’m no real Dramok. I’m weak, Mitag. So terribly weak. Certainly not a Dramok any Imdiko should be the clanmate of. If that’s what you’re hoping for from me, forget it. Find a real leader.”

Mitag’s heart ached. It physically hurt to learn the pain this haunted man lived with and the confidence he’d lost.

---