Page 15 of Bonded

“Listen.”

Listen? What is he talking about? We couldn’t hear anything, which was the very reason we tried to breach this hold. There was never a barrier between this part of the ship before. As the designated pilots, we were always privy to this area.

I wonder if the ship has changed its mind about me?

No, that wouldn’t be the case because I could still feel Vryek, and I could still feel that hum in my body that let me know whether the ship was feeling okay.

Wait. That was what Vryek meant.Listen.

I finally let his words sink in enough to suppress the rage and protective battle instincts that rose within me. As I did, the ship’s thoughts and feelings mingled with mine as it conversed with Priya.

Though the words were muffled as if hearing them from a great distance, the emotion and intention behind them was clear.

The ship was making Priya an offer.

“Do you think she’ll take it?” I asked.

“I am not sure, and before this moment, I would have been annoyed thinking that the ship was taking over where we would be most effective. However, I think … I think the ship is actually succeeding where we have failed.”

Failed? I would not have failed if I had been there when Priya awoke. I would have been there to see her and prevent her from going into the mess hall. I would have been there to ensure that she had the sustenance she needed and would not have been startled to stumble upon a mess hall full of battle-hardened warriors who had survived a bleak prison hold.

I wanted to say all those things, but I swallowed them down. Those words would not have been helpful in this situation. And as a peace offering for the captain, at least I could hold my tongue if I could not get a grip over my emotions.

Vryek put a hand on my shoulder. “I know this is difficult for you, and I appreciate that you have shown considerable restraint. If you were there in the medical bay, things might have gone differently. But this is the new reality now, so we will just need to face what is happening in front of us, not what could have been.”

That Vryek acknowledged my feelings made me feel lighter. I offered my concession. “Well, perhaps things could have gone a different way and perhaps she would have still been afraid. The fact remains that she is alive and relatively well and if she were in trouble, the ship would have let us know.”

I had to concede that was the best I could do under the circumstances. All I actually wanted to do was to crush the barrier with my hands, feel it crumple under my flesh and rip it apart, but that would be like fighting against my own person.

Being linked to both Vryek and the ship was as freeing as it was sometimes constraining, in that I faced my own limitations. It wasn’t often that I felt powerless to fight against anything.

“We will just have to trust that the ship can convince Priya to accept the link. If she can at least do that, she can understand our role, what we can do with her, and what we can do with this ship.”

I knew all that, and I had to accept it. “We have to win her, Vryek.”

“We will, old friend.”

PRIYA

After the ship showed me all that it had gone through, not just the ship itself but also the crew, it was only right to link with them.

It wasn’t just because I felt the need to pay them back, which I did, but if I could help even just a little, then I would feel better. It would make this entire ordeal feel as if there was a reason for me being here.

“What is involved with this link?”

“The link itself is an embedded chip into your neural network. The equivalent of where you would feel emotions. When we link, those in the link can communicate with each other in a more direct and intimate way.”

I remembered that in the hazy sections of my memory while I was researching. Some of this terminology should have stuck with me while I was studying to be a medic, but that was exactly why I ended up not following through on my biology degree. I couldn’t keep all the terminologies straight and the idea of being under pressure did not sit well with me.

“Yes, so what you are thinking of is the hypothalamus? The small brain that rules your hormones, right? Fight or flight, correct?”

“That is correct,” the ship said. “We will install the chip there, and you will link with Pilot-Ruzan and Pilot-Vryek as a cognitive unit. So the heart, mind, and soul link to create the pilot persona that is needed to navigate Cephelas effectively.”

Just from a biological point of view, the idea of having sentient life forms evolve in a mutualistic relationship like this was interesting.

“Out of curiosity, Ship, are you linked automatically? Is there a biological component, as in you are more compatible with certain alien races? Or do you pick whomever you would like?”

“Cephelas should be able to pick as they travel in their native breeding grounds. The most amenable species is the Rakoth. Both my mind and heart are Rakoths.”

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