The Choice

Star listened to the hum of the force field that held her prisoner, the soft blue light the only illumination in the cold, dark room.  She let the tears she held back so tightly when the guard came around flow freely down her face. The tears the Special Forces commander shed were not of regret – she would have done it again if needed, but of betrayal by those who were supposed to be her friends broke her heart. People who said they loved her and that they would have her back always were nowhere to be found.

Liars.

 She sat in prison for the past month for disobeying orders and helping her teammate – her brother – escape supposed justice. Nine was accused of myriad atrocities least of which was the attempted murder of his best friend.  It turned out that the accusations leveled at him were false. A shapeshifter took his form and committed the crimes and the truth came to light when Star shot and killed it. She knew her brother would never do what they accused him of and she went to his aid. She thought their friends would feel the same. She thought that her boyfriend Lucien and most especially Nine’s girlfriend Lia would have come to help her find Nine and get to the truth.

They came, but not the way she thought they would. The Special Forces team they belonged to, the Hunters, were part of the manhunt. She and her team were imprisoned, but their friends the Crimson Five helped them escape. Not only was she on the run, Star had to deal with finding her brother, but she had to do it before the Hunters did. 

The teams found him at the same time. The Hunters would not back down, so Star had to do something she never thought she would have to do. She had to choose between her brother and the man she loved. Lucien would not relent, he had to obey orders. 

So she shot him.

She aimed so that the wound would not be fatal, but she knew when she pulled that trigger it would be all over between them. She and her team, the Pente Force,  found the shapeshifter that took her brother prisoner and stole his form and Star killed it. They escaped to planet Zatoks so Nine could receive treatment for his injuries sustained while captive. The queen agreed to help Nine and shelter the rest of the team, but Star had to turn herself in and face her crimes. If she didn’t, Zatoks risked war with Earth. In the end, Star proved her brother innocent, but it cost her everything.  

Mr. Sanderson, the head of Federation Defense, was so furious with her, he struck her in the face multiple times before throwing her in prison somewhere on a planet with a small outpost. No trial, no sentencing, just punishment and isolation as she was the only inmate in the prison. One piece of bologna between two pieces of stale bread was the only meal she got at first. Then cold soup, probably dumped right out of a can, was added as her supper. She hated the food of course, but she mostly hated the dark and the fact that no one came to see her.  She guessed that Mr. Sanderson wanted her to think about her crime, but she could only play in her mind the betrayal of her boyfriend and his team.

The sole person she saw was a prison guard that came to deliver her food. The guard wore a mask, but she knew it was the same man every time because after a while she knew his shape and the scent of his aftershave. He made no attempt to communicate, and she didn’t try to interact with him. She doubted he would talk to her if she tried.

As she sat in her cell she heard footsteps coming up the hallway. Star wiped away the tears and listened hard. Those were not the footsteps of her regular guard. A knot formed in her stomach as she backed away from the force field that held her. The footsteps were heavy, so she knew it was a man, but the gait was all wrong. Her anxiety eased a little when she heard the spoon scraping against the metal food tray. If he was going to execute her, he certainly wouldn’t feed her first. She wondered where her guard was.

The silhouette of a figure she didn’t recognize appeared at the door, shut off the force field, and placed the food tray on the floor. Star also heard an odd, delicate clink in addition to the metal tray placed on the floor. As the figure activated the force field, a small object glinted in the blue light. Without a word to her, the mysterious figure disappeared. Star found herself staring at a jeweled disc on the floor next to her soup. 

Star waited until the footsteps echoed in the distance before she moved toward the disc. She picked it up and squinted in the dim light. Upon closer inspection, the disc looked more like a golden compact encrusted with dozens of small clear, purple and light blue jewels. Right away she knew it was a communication device. She ran her fingers over the top and when she did so, she noticed that her thumb caught on an engraving on the bottom. She turned it over and traced the mark with her finger.  She could barely see the crest, but knew by the feel of the shape who sent it to her and her heart sank.

Devlon, heir to the Wardon Empire, sent her the communicator. Enemy to the Federation Chain of Life, the favorite son of Emperor Tozar was obsessed with her. Only a few months prior she barely escaped from him after he held her against her will for six months trying to make her his queen. Tears reappeared in her brown eyes. She hoped that it would have been one of her friends that wanted to communicate with her. The only one who wanted her was the last person in the Universe she wanted.

She placed the device on her bed and went to eat her cold, lumpy soup. It was barely edible. As she ate, she gave a side glance in the direction of the small case and remembered all the delicious food Devlon had provided for her every day, even though she barely ate it. The fact that he knew she was in prison and was able to smuggle the device to her was unsettling. When she saw him last, he was screaming with rage as she made her getaway. What could he possibly want?

Loneliness enveloped her. She physically shook her head trying to get rid of the feeling, but she kept thinking about the jewel case and decided to give in to her curiosity and relieve her unwanted solitude. 

She left the small table and her disgusting soup and walked over to her bed and picked up the case. She turned it over with her fingers a couple of times, admiring the beautiful gems on the top with gold peeking in between. Devlon certainly had good taste. Finally, reluctantly, she opened the communicator.  A small screen inside it came alive and Devlon’s face filled it. His demeanor seemed serene -- a far cry from the rage he exhibited at their last meeting.

“Hello, Star,” he said in a smooth tone.

He looked more Terran than Wardonese. He had a full head of dark brown hair, mustache and beard with fair skin, where Wardon men were typically bald with grey skin. If he wasn’t a psychopathic mass murderer, he would probably be considered handsome. Star only saw the evil and remembered the time she spent as his prisoner.

“What do you want, Devlon,” she asked.

Devlon shook his head slightly. 

“Traded one prison for another,” he said. “You should have stayed with me.”

“I would never have stayed with you,” she said, bitterness creeping into her voice.

“I certainly treated you better than Federation Defense has,” he remarked. “These are the people you have pledged allegiance to? I wouldn’t feed the swill they’ve been giving you to a farm animal.”

“How do you know what they’re feeding me?”

“I’ve had my spies keeping an eye on you since you were sent there,” said Devlon. “It’s criminal the way you are being treated.”

Star stared at the screen, her face emotionless.  

“Why are you spying on me? Are you reveling in my misery?”

The emperor’s son’s face grew serious. “I sent you the communicator because I want you back,” he said.  “I can get you out of there. Tell me you will be my queen and I will bring you back to me.”

Star gave out a nervous laugh. “Living in a cage with you gawking at me is not a life.”

Devlon leaned in more, completely filling the small screen. 

“It wouldn’t be like that. You would be here of your own free will. There would be no cage. There would be fine clothes, jewels, the finest foods and drink. You would never have to pick up a laser again. You would be pampered beyond your wildest imagination. And you would be loved. They don’t love you, Star. You are only a tool to them.”

Devlon’s words hit her hard, and she admonished herself because of it. Was she really talking to the son of her most hated enemy? Was she actually picturing the life he promised? What was wrong with her?

“No,” she said. “I can’t go with you.”

Devlon didn’t try to mask his disappointment. He leaned back a little in his chair. 

“Very well,” he said. “Keep the communicator. My offer still stands. You only need to press the green button on it and I come for you myself.” 

Their conversation was over. The screen went blank. She was alone again.

###

Ten days passed since Star communicated with Devlon. Her situation didn’t change. No visitors and poor food. She wondered how much longer Mr. Sanderson was going to punish her and what would happen once she got out?  She didn’t know where her team was or whether or not Nine completely recovered. 

She pulled Devlon’s communicator out from under her pillow like she had so many times since they last spoke, rubbing her thumb across the jewel-encrusted top. One press of a button and her life would change. She was so lonely, and she was tired of crying.  She was tired of reliving all the scenarios of that day. She just wanted it all to go away. Star found her fingers in a position to open the box, but she stopped herself. If she opened that compact and called Devlon, she would never see her team again. But she had no idea if this punishment was a life sentence, so she may never see them again anyway.

Star tried to shake off the growing temptation, but it didn’t look like anyone was coming for her. Maybe if she went with Devlon she could turn him to the side of Federation Defense. Maybe if she sacrificed herself Federation Defense could win the war.

Star opened the communicator.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps. Once again, it was not her usual guard. She heard two sets of footsteps, and they were running toward her cell. Star closed the communicator and put it in her pocket. She backed away from the cell as the footsteps got closer. She heard the heavy breathing of a young woman as the two figures stopped in front of the cell.

“Here!” cried the woman. “She’s here.”

Star recognized her friend Serena’s voice instantly. Marcus the Commander, of the Crimson Five, fiddled with the controls of the force field. After a moment, it vanished and they both rushed in, grabbed each arm and pulled her out of the cell.

“Come on, we have to go!” instructed Marcus.

Star let her be led from the cell. They passed her guard, who stood against the wall, mask still on, allowing them to pass. Star mouthed a thank you to him and the masked man nodded in her direction.

“What’s going on?” asked Star as they ran out of the prison.

“We’re getting you out of here,” said Marcus. “The Queen‘s been looking for you.”

“She doesn’t think what Mr. Sanderson is doing is right and she’s willing to risk war to save you. She asked us to help her get you back.”

“We’ve been looking for you for months, but then Queen said she couldn’t locate you. Some sort of jammer,” said Serena.

Star stopped short, but Marcus grabbed her by the waist and carried her.  

“You can’t stop, Star, we only have a short window to get out of here.”

“What kind of jammer?” asked Star.

“Don’t know,” said Marcus. “It’s not ours. The Queen said she’s never encountered it before.”

Star had. That was the jammer Devlon used to keep her team from finding her when he held her captive. It was all a lie. He tricked her. She almost fell for it. Had her friends not come in time, she would have been his prisoner forever.

Marcus put Star down and they ran to the Crimson Five’s ship and escaped before Mr. Sanderson’s other forces could catch them.

On the ship. Star laid in the bed in the infirmary and pulled out the communicator. Anger and a new sense of betrayal welled up inside her.

“You almost had me,” she said to the communicator. 

She decided to keep it. One day she would use it to turn the tables and trap him.