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-Transmission Lost-

-Prayers of the Refugee-

Chapter One: Prayers of the Refugee

by Havoc

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."

-Proverbs 3:3, NIV

---

Space is nothing like it is in films. In all of the great space epics told in human history, space is depicted as this dynamic environment, full of marvelous things and extravagant beauty. Perilous dangers lurk there, and myriad planets full of verdant life and adventures to be had.

In reality, space is vast, dark, and empty. Almost nothing survives in the vacuum of space apart from a few strange lifeforms that science has only begun to start to understand. While hundreds of thousands, even millions, of planets exist in the universe, only a scant handful of these are capable of life. Of those that are capable of supporting living beings, survival is a shaky venture. And of that tiny handful, even a smaller number has ever produced intelligent life. So, to reiterate, space is a very empty place, indeed.

Even more than that, space is quiet. Sound does not carry through a vacuum, after all. For someone insane enough to brave it without the benefit of a protective suit, their ears would register absolute silence. For those who travel the cosmos in vessels, the only sounds to be heard are the hum of engines, the chirping of electronic signals, and if one is very lucky the conversations of shipmates.

---

Lieutenant Aria Me'lia was not one of the lucky ones. For her, confined to her quarters on the Ailian warship she was traveling in, the silence was deafening. Every now and then, she would hear a crew member walk by her door, speaking in the language which she had not heard anyone save for herself speak for nearly three weeks. She was surprised to find how odd it sounded to her ears. She had been speaking mostly the human language since her own ship had crashed on an uncharted world. For of course Aria was not a human at all. She was an Ailian, a species of tiger-like humanoids that inhabited a large segment of the known universe in an empire called the Ascendancy. Her species was at war with humanity, in fact, in a decade-long conflict that spanned over thousands of star systems and had resulted in unfathomable casualties. It was a war which, for the majority of it, her people had been winning.

Aria longed to talk with one of her people, even if just for a few minutes. Confined as she was, though, she wasn't holding out hope for that.

Not that her current situation was without comforts, of course. Even with her predicament being the way it was, her status as an officer still afforded her a certain level of respect. Upon being brought on board, she had been taken to an empty officer's quarters and shut inside. The room was as spacious as could be spared on a starship, and contained a few items of furniture including a bed, a computer terminal, and a chair. A small door off to one side led to a reasonably-sized bathroom. More than most prisoners would receive, but again, Aria received certain courtesies due to her rank and family status.

For the past two days, Aria had mostly remained on the bed, reflecting silently on her present situation. She knew she was facing charges of treason. Since this was during a time of war, she could face summary execution at any time. Since she still lived, however, she was assuming that she was being transported somewhere to stand trial. What the destination was, and how long it would take to get there, she had no idea.

Periodically, her thoughts turned to agonizing worry. In the time that Aria had spent stranded on an alien planet, she had not been alone. The whole reason that Aria had wound up there had been tied to her previous duties in the Ascendancy Military. Aria had been assigned as a combat patrol pilot, monitoring a section of Ailian territory near suspected human smuggling lanes. Her routine patrol had been interrupted one day when she'd encountered a human transport ship. After a brief and vicious battle, the human vessel had fled and Aria had followed it blindly into hyperspace. Both ships had emerged near an uncharted world, and damage forced them both to make a crash landing on that same planet. There Aria had met the human pilot, a man named Jack Squier. Knowing that survival now meant cooperation, they had set aside the conflict setting their people against one another, and had worked together to get off the planet. Somewhere along the way, the pair had grown very close, had begun to trust each other, and formed a bond.

The bond had been shattered upon their being retrieved by an Ailian military ship. Now they were separated, though surely they were both still on the same ship. Aria felt an almost crippling need to see him. She would have fought to get to where he was, but she knew it would do little good. Most likely it would result in the both of them being killed, and Aria also did not want to fight her own people. But she still wondered what he was doing right now...

---

Jack groaned, waking up for what felt like the third time in as many hours. He looked around the meager cell that he was being kept in. When the Ailian soldiers had rescued him and Aria from the planet they'd been stranded on, Jack had been knocked unconscious before being brought aboard the ship. When he'd finally come around, he'd had quite a headache. The past few days, the number of which he couldn't be sure of, had been filled with numerous interrogations. The fact that none of the Ailians on board this ship seemed to speak English as well as Aria did was little deterrent to his "rescuers", even though Jack knew little that might be of value to them. To top it off, they seemed to be subjecting him to some of the usual passive wearing-down techniques. His cell was as bare bones as could be, with nothing in it except for a metal slab for a bed and a small alcove with a rudimentary toilet that, being apparently designed with Ailian prisoners in mind, was too big for him to use without difficulty. The room was perpetually flooded with bright light, making it nearly impossible to get any sleep, and this was compounded by a low, dull humming noise that was piped into the cell by a speaker hidden somewhere.

About the only good thing was that Jack seemed to have been given some medical care while he'd been unconscious. The wound he'd received from a tumble over a waterfall had been almost completely healed, and the gunshot wound he'd been given by a covert team of human commandos was also taken care of. Aria had been rather skillful as a field medic, but Jack was glad to have been tended to by someone with a little more talent for the art of medicine.

Jack had to admit to himself that he hadn't been treated badly, exactly. While it was true that he wasn't being taken care of like a passenger, he also wasn't being tortured, which was something he'd come to expect from everything he'd heard about Ailians. All he'd known about them before meeting Aria was that they were little more than terrorists, with an aim only to exterminate humanity. Slowly, over the course of getting to know Aria and spending time with her, he'd come to realize that simply wasn't true. Ailians were different from humans, yes, but it was a matter of different cultures and not some black-and-white concept of good versus evil.

_Aria,_Jack thought to himself. Despite everything that was going on, he managed a little smile when he thought about her. He remembered the very last thing he'd said to her, his impulsive declaration of love. An Ailian was probably the very last person he would have imagined himself falling in love with, but it had happened. Though they were of different species, Jack found her to be one of the most beautiful women he had ever met.

Jack sighed, swinging his legs off of the uncomfortable metal bed and sitting up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Of course, he'd probably never meet her again, now. For all he knew, she was already dead. If Aria had been right during their many conversations down on the alien planet, their relationship meant she was facing treason charges, the punishment for which would likely be execution. Not to mention what might happen to him whenever this ship got where it was going.

His eyes snapped wide as the door to the cell slid open. Jack looked toward it, a jolt of fear running through him. So far, the door had only opened when he was brought a meal, or more often when he was going to be hauled out for an interrogation session.

This time, however, seemed to be different. Striding into the cell was an Ailian he hadn't seen before. This one was a female, and she was not clad in the bulky armor that the soldiers Jack had dealt with before had been wearing, nor in the form-fitting flight suit that Aria had been clad in. She was wearing flowing robes of a smooth, white material that hung loosely about her. She had dusky blue fur striped with gold, an unusual, regal color combination. Her loose, flowing style of clothing made it tough for Jack to gauge her body type, but she didn't seem like a soldier. While she seemed to be the same roughly ten foot height of other Ailians, he thought she looked of a much slighter build than Aria.

The Ailian looked over her shoulder, jerking her head a little. A guard, black-furred and clad in armor, stepped into the cell beside her. Jack felt apprehensive again. Maybe he was about to interrogated after all. The female looked at him, then waved a hand.

_"Cha...,"_she said, apparently speaking to the guard. He walked over to Jack, grabbing him roughly by the shoulder and jerking him to his feet. Jack was dragged away from the metal slab bed and pushed harshly up against the wall. When the guard released his shoulder, the human slid to the floor, sitting there.

The blue-furred female strode into the cell, her long tail waving slowly behind her as she walked. Jack watched her, still confused as to what was going on. She sat down on the bed where he'd been moments ago, facing him. Crossing her arms, she stared him down for a few long moments. Her eyes were a deep, blood red, dark enough that it was hard to discern any pupils in them.

"Ah le re'aki," she said, looking at the guard. He looked back at her, shaking his head. The female scowled, narrowing her eyes and glaring at the guard. She repeated her order. _"Ah. Le. Re'aki."_The way she said it the second time sounded very threatening. The guard looked down at Jack, then back at her. Reluctantly, he slowly walked out of the cell. The door slid shut behind him. She watched the door a moment longer, then looked at Jack. Her scowl vanished from her face, replaced by a neutral expression.

"Well, I apologize for the guard's treatment of you just now. He is merely dedicated to his work."

Jack nearly fell over in shock. He hadn't been expecting that at all. Not the words, though those were surprising enough as it was, but the way in which she'd said them. The female was speaking perfect, educated-sounding English, though with the same rolling, clipped accent that Aria spoke it in. Considering how weak the English skills of all the other Ailians on this ship seemed to be, Jack had assumed none of them cared to learn much of it. Clearly, he'd been mistaken.

"I...I don't..."

"Not expecting one of us to speak your language so well?" the Ailian asked. There was the barest hint of a smile. "That is to be expected, I suppose. So few humans understand any of our language, after all. Why should you assume any of us would understand yours?"

"Aria speaks English," Jack said, finding his voice. "She told me you force human prisoners to teach it to you. But I guess not everyone bothers to learn."

The Ailian laughed lightly. "That is true enough. Many in the military seem to think that the only thing we need to understand about humans is how to kill them. However, many others believe that understanding one's enemy is important as well." She brushed a hand down her robes, smoothing a wrinkle out of them. "Lieutenant Me'lia seems to be one of that school of thought."

"I see...," Jack said, though he wasn't sure he understood.

"Now, because of the...difficulty that our soldiers have had in getting information from you, and considering my skills with your language, I have been asked to speak with you. I trust that will not be a problem?"

Jack sat up straight against the wall, suddenly on his guard. "So this is an interrogation after all."

"Yes. It is." The Ailian uncrossed her arms, laying them in her lap. "You may find it less unpleasant than the ones you have been through previously, provided you cooperate, of course."

With an uncanny feeling of déjà vu, Jack stood up from where he was sitting. He schooled his face into an impassive expression. "Why should I?"

"There is a charming human expression that I am rather fond of...How does it go again?" The Ailian paused for a moment, thinking. "Ah, yes...I remember now. 'One will catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.' If you cooperate with me now, we shall turn off the lights and the speakers in your cell. You will be allowed to get some rest. That is fair enough, yes?"

Suspicious, Jack crossed his arms behind his head. "And why should I believe you?"

"What have you to lose?"

Taken aback by her response, Jack blinked. She had a point. Jack had no control over what happened to him in his current situation. He was sleep-deprived, fed less than what he was used to, and kept in solitary confinement. Now one of his captors was offering him a carrot in exchange for a little cooperation.

"Well...I suppose," Jack said. "But if we're going to be talking like this, can I know your name?"

"Hm..." The Ailian seemed to consider his question for a few minutes, and the she nodded. "Very well. You may call me Li'ren." She gathered her tail in her lap, crossing one leg over the other.

"...Li'ren...?" Jack prompted her.

"Li'ren will suffice for now. Let us not forget I am the one asking the questions, yes?" Li'ren brushed a hand over the top of her head, smoothing the fur between her short-pointed ears. "And speaking of questions, let us begin, shall we?"

---

Nearly two hours later, Li'ren seemed to have asked all the questions that she'd wanted to ask of Jack. She eyed Jack, who was now sitting on the floor once more, impassively. Jack looked back at her just as blankly, though inside he was as anxious as he'd ever been. He wondered whether he had done the right thing, being so honest with her, but Jack had the strangest feeling that Li'ren was someone who could be trusted. Of course, that could all be part of her plan, to lull him into a false sense of security in order to make him talk as much as possible.

"So," Li'ren finally said, folding her arms in her lap. "It would seem I have questioned you for a few hours just to arrive at the same conclusion that our soldiers took days to come to." She smiled, though the smile did not extend to her eyes. "You really do not know anything of military value."

"That's what I've tried to tell you from the start," Jack sighed wearily. "I retired from the Navy years ago. Anything I might have known then is way too old to be of any use now. I'm just a transport pilot who was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So it would seem," Li'ren agreed. She stood up from the prison bed, smoothing her robes. "Thank you for your cooperation. You will be rewarded as was promised." The blue Ailian stepped away from the bed, heading for the door.

"Wait!" Jack blurted out, shooting to his feet and taking a step towards her. Li'ren stopped and turned fractionally, looking over her shoulder at him, her tail twitching in warning. He froze in place, keenly aware that though Li'ren might not appear to be a soldier, she was still an Ailian and could definitely overpower him if she wanted to. "Where are we going? And what's going to happen when we get there?"

Li'ren considered him for some time, her garnet eyes narrowing slightly. "We are going to Lirna, the capital planet of the Ascendancy," she replied. "When we arrive there, Lieutenant Me'lia will face her first appearance before a military tribunal, facing the crimes of treason and fraternization with the enemy. Because you hold little value as a prisoner of war, I imagine you shall be pressed into servitude."

A knot of ice formed in the pit of Jack's stomach. "You mean I'll be made a slave."

"Yes."

He stared at her, not wanting to believe what she was telling him. Yes, of course Aria had told him it might be a possibility, but until now it hadn't seemed quite so real. "There's no other option?"

"No."

Jack stared at the floor for a few long moments. "Can I see her?" he asked quietly.

Li'ren turned towards him fully, clasping her hands low in front of her. She was looking at Jack with what looked strangely like pity. "I am afraid you cannot," she said. "I am sorry." With that, she turned and knocked on the cell door. The guard opened it and she stepped out, leaving Jack alone once more.

Feeling a despair deeper than anything he'd felt in the past few weeks, Jack went back to the cold, uncomfortable metal bed and laid down upon it. Before long, true to Li'ren's word, the lights turned off and the dull humming noise quieted. Even though sleep was no longer the thing Jack wanted the most.

---

Aria opened one eye, coming awake from the short nap she had been taking. Her tail twitched, and one ear flicked as she heard faint sounds coming from the hallway outside of the door to her quarters. The sounds seemed to be footsteps, accompanied by quiet conversation. Just as Aria was about to dismiss the noise as more crew members passing by, there was a soft knock on the door. She sat up on her bed, pulling aside the blanket and swinging her feet out onto the floor. Up until now, anyone coming to her quarters had just opened the door, instead of knocking. The knock repeated itself, a little louder this time.

<Come in...,> Aria said, speaking in her native tongue.

The door to her quarters opened, and a blue-furred female, gold-striped and wearing noble white robes entered the room. She was carrying a tray upon which were two steaming cups. As Aria watched, the female closed the door behind her, stepping across the room without saying anything. She placed the tray on the table that the computer terminal was set up on, and turned to Aria.

<Good evening, Lieutenant Me'lia,> she said. <Would you care for a drink?>

Aria didn't say anything, eying the other female suspiciously. When no response was given, the blue female picked up a cup, carrying it to her. She held it out to Aria, watching her expectantly. After staring back at her for a while, she took the cup, cradling the warmth in her hands. Her nose twitched as she sniffed the steam rising from the surface of the liquid within. The drink was easily recognizable to her as a pungent tea made from a green herb of her home planet, favored by her species. Flavorful and nourishing, the brewed drink also contained a very mild psychoactive compound that induced a sensation not unlike alcohol intoxication in humans.

The other female noticed that Aria was not drinking. Returning to the table, she picked up the other cup and walked to the chair in the room, turning it and sitting down so that she was facing Aria. She sipped at the drink, her red eyes staring.

Relenting, Aria lifted her cup and tasted it. Warmth flooded into her and she gave a barely perceptible sigh of pleasure. It had been so long since she'd tasted food or drink of her homeworld; the military food she'd been provided with so far hardly counted.

<There,> the other female said, seeming satisfied. <That's not bad at all, is it?>

<Thank you,> Aria said, somewhat grudgingly. She took another sip of the tea, savoring the flavor. <And who might you be? You are not one of the crew of this ship, that's clear enough.>

The female sitting across from her laughed, raising her cup and drinking before she answered. <You are quite right about that, Lieutenant.> She lowered her cup, holding it in her lap, as she crossed one leg over the other. <I am Lady Li'ren Amani. I am Her Majesty the Empress' representative on this ship.>

Aria found her throat suddenly dry, despite the drink. <I see...And I presume you're here to discuss the terms of my execution?>

<Hardly. I am, in fact, the sole reason that you are not dead already.> Li'ren took a final sip from her cup, and then she set it down on the armrest of the chair. <Were it up to the commander of this vessel, you would have been executed as soon as you had been brought aboard. It was only through my assurances that Her Majesty would be most displeased by that course of action that I was able to stay his hand.>

Not sure of quite what to say to that, Aria elected just to look into her cup. Her head was swimming by now, and not from the effects of the tea. She'd had a feeling that her position on board this ship was a little more precarious than it would have seemed, and to have confirmation of that was quite the shock indeed. Aria ought to have expected it, considering what the rescue party had witnessed right from the start. She'd kissed Jack so passionately, in full view of them...A foolish thing to have done, with the benefit of hindsight.

<And to what do I owe that courtesy?>

<Why, your family, of course,> Li'ren explained. <Your mother served the Ascendancy so loyally, after all, and you after her as well. Hm...Until now, at least if the charges are to be believed.>

Aria's gaze shot up to spear Li'ren, and she bared her teeth in a vicious snarl. <I am _still_loyal to the Empress! How _dare_you suggest->

<Peace, Lieutenant,> Li'ren said, her voice calm and quiet. <And remember who you are speaking to. Do not presume to speak so freely to Her Majesty's representative.>

Fighting back the urge to give a scathing retort, Aria pushed down her anger. She took a few deep breaths, collecting herself, and then she closed her eyes for a few moments. <Forgive me, my lady.>

Li'ren watched Aria, and then she smiled. <You are forgiven, so long as you do not forget yourself again. As I said, you have been given a reprieve from execution until a formal trial can be conducted. I presume you understand the nature of the charges against you?>

<...I do.>

<And you understand why those charges have been brought?>

<...Yes.>

<Good.> Li'ren considered the other Ailian, looking her over. She could sense Aria's anguish, fear, anger, and frustration. Curious, in spite of the official capacity in which she was serving, she had to ask the question. <Her Majesty would like to know if any of the details of the charges have merit.>

Aria looked away from Li'ren, feeling shame wash over her. Despite everything that she felt, and how little she had come to regret anything that had happened during her time with Jack, she felt she was a loyal Ailian subject. And a loyal Ailian subject would not have done what she had done. <Some of the details may have merit...>

<...I see.> Li'ren considered for a moment. <Well, never mind that for now. I imagine you have questions of your own. For example, you haven't yet asked me _why_exactly the Empress would send a personal representative on such a mission as this.>

<Actually...I was kind of wondering why,> Aria admitted.

<A reasonable question.> Li'ren stood up from her chair, and started walking slowly back and forth across the room. <This ship was not originally on a rescue mission. Before we received your transmission from that planet, we were on a mission of diplomacy to the Nuretan Empire.>

Aria blinked, surprised by that. The Nuretans were a species unknown to humans, a species that inhabited a small cluster of a few dozen aquatic planets adjacent to Ascendancy territory. The Nuretans were allies of the Ailians, though they had not joined in their conflict with humanity. They were a slightly built race, bipedal, with slick, amphibian skin that tended towards pale yellows and greens. Despite their low population relative to Ailians or even humans, they had a powerful space fleet. Owing to a cultural dislike of conflict, the Nuretans did not associate much with the Ascendancy even though they did consider each other allies.

<Why were you going to the Nuretans?> Aria asked, curious. <Has something happened?>

<The Pteryd are up to something,> Li'ren hissed. <We don't know what, yet, but they are massing ships near their border with human space.>

<Do they mean to go to war with the humans as well?>

Li'ren shook her head. <Perhaps, but that is not the popular opinion. Most of our analysts believe they mean to make first contact with the humans. And they would do that only for one reason: to combine forces against us.>

Aria felt a chill. The Pteryd were the mortal, ancient enemies of the Ascendancy. They were an insect-like race, resembling most closely a species found on Earth called a praying mantis. Telepathic, they were an all-female species that reproduced through parthenogenesis, meaning that a female's children were virtually identical genetic copies of their mother. A single Pteryd would expect to give birth close to one hundred times in her lifetime, which was considerable. The average Pteryd lived nearly three centuries. Their longevity and reproductive rate had made it so that they were a tough enemy, and it was only through superior firepower and technology that the Ailians had managed to keep them at bay.

<So that's why we're reaching out to the Nuretans...,> Aria murmured. She gripped her cup tightly, which had gone cold by now. <If the humans join with them...That would be a disaster for us.>

<Indeed. I only hope that the delay caused by sending a different ship to the Nuretan Empire will not hasten the disaster.>

<My apologies...> Aria felt a wave guilt pass over her. If she was responsible for such a calamity to fall over her people...

Li'ren waved away her apology. She returned to her chair, sitting down. <It's not your fault, Lieutenant. You've been out of the loop for weeks. You can't be expected to know each and every little development that has occurred in the war. And the war goes well in all other respects, so there's a great deal of hope. I apologize if I made things sound overly bleak. That's not the way it is.>

Aria sighed quietly, feeling a small sense of relief. Of course it couldn't have been that bad. If it had, the rescue simply wouldn't have happened. If the delay was really that unacceptable, Aria would still be stuck on that uncharted planet, with Jack...

Which reminded her... <And what of J-...the human?> Aria inquired, trying to sound as casual as she possibly could.

<He is being kept in the ship's prison,> Li'ren replied. <He's being cared for, and has not been mistreated more than is usual for a captured enemy.>

<And...> Aria almost bit her tongue, knowing that she shouldn't ask what she was about to ask. But she couldn't help herself. <I don't suppose I could be...allowed to see him?>

Li'ren looked at her with her blood red eyes, which were slightly wider than they'd been most of the time she'd been speaking with Aria. Then she began laughing, and it sounded like genuine amusement. The blue female leaned forward, her tail waving behind her, and she cupped her chin in one clawed hand. <Do you know, he asked me the exact same thing when I spoke with him earlier...> She got control of her laughter, grew serious again. <You care about him, don't you?>

Aria looked away, all too aware that she might be signing her own death warrant. <He loves me...,> she said quietly. <How could I not care? Would you not care, if you were me?> She looked back at Li'ren, defiance in her golden eyes. Li'ren gazed back at her, and then she stood up. She crossed the room, standing before Aria. With simple, regal nobility, she laid a hand on her shoulder.

<Take heart.>

With that simple phrase said, Li'ren gathered the empty cups and made to leave the room. Before she left, she turned back around and spoke to Aria again.

<Lieutenant, make sure you write a thorough report regarding your stay on that planet.> She gestured to the computer terminal. <You have been given limited access to the ship's network for that purpose. I would stress that you leave nothing, absolutely nothing, out of the report. Her Majesty wishes for a thorough account. We will arrive on Lirna in three days' time.> Li'ren left, closing the door behind her. The lock clicked audibly, shutting Aria in.

Blinking, not quite sure what had just happened, Aria stared at the door for a long time after that as though she was expecting something to come through it. But it remained just a motionless, plain slab of steel, just as it had always been.

Not wanting to begin writing yet, and not having anything else to do, Aria reclined on the bed again. She traced imaginary patterns in the blank ceiling, thinking hard about Li'ren, and about Jack. Li'ren had spoken with her human companion prior to speaking with her, and clearly Jack had not seen fit to tell any lies to the noblewoman. So Li'ren had a better idea than anyone of the nature of their relationship. She wondered if the other Ailian had bothered to tell anyone yet. Aria didn't think so. She seemed trustworthy, especially with that thing she'd said to her. Take heart.

Whose side was Li'ren on, and just what exactly was she hinting at when she'd spoken to Aria? And why, it would seem, was the Empress interested in Aria personally? Two days was plenty of time for word to have gotten back to Lirna over communication channels, so was it possible that the Empress had heard of Aria and was taking a specific interest in her?

With an ache in her chest, Aria realized that all she wanted right now was to see Jack. She rolled onto her side on the bed, facing the wall. The bed felt so empty to her. Over the time she'd spent on the uncharted world, she'd grown accustomed to sharing her bed with him, though there it had just been a simple camping bedroll. She cursed herself for this weakness. She was a trained soldier, not some regular citizen. She should be above this sort of sentimentality. And yet she was not.

Closing her eyes, she decided to try to sleep. The report could wait for the morning, and she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Plenty of time between here and home to take care of things...