Lady Iris

Finding One's True Self: Part 19

By Xan Steel

Depression started setting in for Rubicant as the time had long since passed for him to wake up from stasis. He had hoped to see Maria and the others again. He missed them dearly and wanted to return to them. After the tenth week, Julyna came to visit him after her latest mission had finished.

She could sense something wasn't right with him, because he wasn't his usual chipper self, as well as his eyes looked sad. When they return to his room that night, she turned to him and asked what was wrong. At first, he didn't tell her and began to make a pot of Forest Brew. When he didn't answer her, she went up behind him and wrapped her arms around him and spoke in a concerned tone. "Rubi, what's wrong? You've been quiet all day. Not to mention the sad look in your eyes." 

His eyes grew more depressed looking before he spoke softly. "The time in which I was supposed to wake up from stasis has passed. I miss my Te'dar and my two friends. I'm not sure why I didn't wake up, but it has me worried," he softly replied.

"How long ago?" she asked. 

"Seventy days," he answered.

Julyna looked at him unsure what to say. "I was supposed to have been awake for thirty days to make sure the ship was still functioning, and to see them again before going back in stasis," he stated.

She wasn't sure how to word her question without it possibly causing him some pain. "What reason would they have to keep you in stasis?" 

He finished pouring a cup for her and him as they sat at his little table. "There's plenty reasons as to why I'm still here, but to answer your question directly? My brain is growing a third hemisphere my species never developed. Something Sandra, my friend, called a paracortex," he explained.

"So your species doesn't have a three hemisphere brain normally?" 

"No, in my people's history, there has never been someone with three hemispheres in their brain, only two and this third part is displacing the fluid around my brain." He finished while sipping his drink. 

She could sense him thinking of darker thoughts as to what happened to him. "Rubi, I'm sure Maria had her reasons for not waking you up," she said to try and comfort him.

"Yeah, like the fact I'm already dead, and my consciousness is trapped in this unit." Rubicant blurted.

Julyna got upset with him for saying that, much like Maria. "Don't you ever say that again! You are not dead! And if you were you wouldn't be here right now! These constructs can't function without a living consciousness, meaning your body needs to be alive!" 

The sadness in his eyes left for a moment. "But this isn't a standard construct is it?" he asked.

"No! But that," She cut herself off and looked away from him. 

"I figured as much, since we never put me in that other construct, as well as meeting the GrandMaster, also figuring he was the one to bring me here. Though I still don't know why." While it was a statement, Rubicant's tone was more questioning. 

Julyna hung her head in shame having kept that information from him. He gently picked up her handpaw. 

"I'm sure you and Altair had your reasons for keeping that news from me." He said reassuringly. 

"We didn't know how it would effect you if we had told you. For whatever reason you are critical to him." Rubicant began to share his moment with the GrandMaster mentally with Julyna. Finding that he could be saved was a relief, but how worried her, though it did give her a bit of understanding into his concerns. "You're using metabolic stasis?" she asked.

"Yes, why?" 

"Well, that type of stasis doesn't completely stop your body from growing it just slows it down. I think what you wanted was Cryogenic stasis, which would stop all growth." Julyna finished.

He did a mental face palm for not realizing that, so of course, they wouldn't wake him, it would be to both theirs and his advantage not to until they got to Alpha Centauri. He got up and pulled her into a tight hug. As he felt a lot of mental weight lift off of him. Granted it's something he should have remembered. That night she laid in bed with him until he fell asleep and then left to end her mediation.

Feeling better about not having been woken up from stasis, he went back to planning his days while waiting for either or both Julyna and Altair to visit him. His mornings always had him sitting on the fifteenth floor café reading the news and having breakfast. And everything was the same except he saw a new Derlenian couple he never seen before. The only reason they caught his eye, was the male, while younger looking than himself, his fur was almost black like his.

Having watched them for the last week every morning, he came to the conclusion that he genuinely didn't like this male. He was brash, rude, uncaring, and extraordinarily full of himself. The female, who's fur was almost white, was quiet, reserved, and didn't say a whole lot, but did sense she regretted getting involved with him. Not to mention her mind was on her medical studies and not really on him, which would upset him when he talked with her, and she wasn't paying attention. It would land her a slap across her muzzle as punishment. 

About a week later he watched the Derlenian couple stroll along the edge of the café's outside deck. She started to tell him that she needed to head back to the medical academy as classes were starting again. This set the male off as he began yelling at her that she belonged to him and that he wouldn't let her go back. She tried pleading with him that she didn't have a choice because she was going to go into the Alliance. Which only seemed to upset him more as he grabbed her by the throat and pushed her up against the edge of the railing. Rubicant's nerves went on edge. He could hear him tell her to give it up or be heavily punished. She shook her head no. He then began to push her over and again told her to give it up. 

Rubicant couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Fifteen stories up and over the Brine. Before he realized what he needed to do, he was on his feet at a full run toward them hoping he would make it in time. He burst through the door just as he heard the male yell 'DIE IN THE BRINE' and pushed her over. In the few split seconds he had, Rubicant in one fluid motion shoved the male out of his way and broke through the wooden railing with a football tackle, and leaped off after her. In three floors he managed to catch her. She was lamenting about how she was going to die. Rubicant then got under her to break her fall. He saw they weren't far from the shore and figured he'd have time to save her. He yelled, "HOLD YOUR BREATH AND SHUT YOUR EYES!" just before they hit the Brine. 

The pain she felt was excruciating as her fur and clothes began to dissolve almost immediately. He held on to her as she struggled with the pain and swam to shore as quickly as possible. Once there he lifted her out as carefully as he could. Her fur and clothes now completely gone as blisters formed, popped and bled all over her body. Rubicant was about to yell for help when someone came up and gently poured fresh water all over her from a first aid bucket. He looked at them to thank them and saw Tarina there. Someone else came over with a first aid blanket and spread it out on the sand. "Here, lay her on this so we can continue rinsing her off." He did so as others came over with buckets and continued to rinse her off gently. 

To say she was in bad shape was an understatement. She body shook from the pain as though she was having a seizure. He gently held her head so it wouldn't hit the ground, and after a few moments, and a few fresh water buckets, her shakes calmed down. She stirred gently on the blanket as the others continued to pour fresh water over her body. She spoke mentally to him in a scared tone. "He's coming!" Rubicant turned to see the male coming for them, as he faced him. His anger peaked inside him, even though he tried to remain calm. 

The male came up to Rubicant he threw a punch at him, as Rubicant dodged and then grabbed his arm and spun him around while bringing the male's arm around to his back. He then lifted him and began to run to one of the boulders in the shallows of the brine and pinned him against it. "WHY!" Rubicant yelled. 

"Because a she’s mine, and not doing what I say, when I say it, is grounds for punishment as I see fit!" the male snapped back.

Rubicant gave a loud deep throated growl of anger and disgust as he pushed the male against the boulder harder. "You ingrate, you have no idea who I am, when I tell my father!" 

Rubicant cut him off. "I don't give a damn who you are or who your father is! You have no right to kill a female as punishment for not wanting to follow your every order!" Rubicant wanted to drop him in the brine so he could make him feel the same pain he caused her. Only a familiar voice stopped him. 

"Is there a need for me to arrest you as well, Mister Tavar?" Rubicant turned to look in the direction of the voice. To his surprise, he saw Detective Ohm standing there. 

"Detective?!" He said as Ohm nodded. 

"Wait till my father hears about this!" the male stated again before Ohm cut him short. 

"Your father already has, and he's not pleased with you, to say the least." Ohm interrupted. "Now Mister Tavar why don't you bring him over here and let my officers handle him." He said. Rubicant did so, letting the two officers take him into custody. "Officers, make sure you give him our 'best' ride to Central." Ohm sarcastically said as they nodded in return.

Rubicant quietly spoke after they were out of earshot. "I truly wanted to drop him in the brine." He said to Ohm. 

"I know, and I would have loved to watch, but sadly the law prevents such things." 

"What's going to happen to him?" Rubicant asked. 

"Unsure at this point." He turned to look at the female and the medical crew tending to her. "One thing's for sure. It's not going to be pretty. He just tried to kill Lady Iris. The daughter of the highest military family in the Alliance, as well as being rumored to be the successor to the GrandMaster." Rubicant turned to look at her again in surprise.

"Damn it we can't get the brine out of her lungs and stomach!" One of them yelled. 

Rubicant thought she must have swallowed it during her thrashing. He quickly went to her, "Do you have another towel?" They nodded and handed it to him. He sent her a mental image of what he planned to do to save her, as she nodded in response. Rubicant then gently rolled her on her belly and laid the towel over her naked rump to cover it, and then lifted her on her knees, as her head remained on the ground. He stood over her and reached under her belly with a balled up handpaw, and took his other handpaw over it, and give swift, sharp, upwards thrusts into her belly. After the fourth one, she began to vomit up brine and blood, causing her to cough violently as more brine and blood came out of her as she began to gasp for breath. He wrapped the towel under her and gently lifted her lower half higher to get her to cough and vomit more, making sure most of it was out of her, and afterward he laid her back down on her side.

He gently stroked her cheek as she nuzzled it, and then turned to look at him. He stared into her eyes, as time seemed to stop. They were a level of blue he'd never seen before, to the point they almost glowed with how the light was hitting them. She didn't have regular pupils. Instead, her eyes appeared to have tiny sparkling galaxies in them. They swirled when they contracted in the light and expanded when the light dimmed. 'So beautiful' he thought in wonder.

She looked at his black eyes with red irises and felt like she was falling into them. Powerful and striking, but gentle and caring at the same time. Such an enigma to her that she wanted to know more. Like a tulõdä to a flame, she wanted to be burned for her curiosity. She thought to him, "Thank you for saving me." He smiled gently at her as the medical crew began to take her away for treatment at the nearby center.

Ohm walked up to Rubicant and said, "She is quite a lovely female." Rubicant nodded In agreement. Ohm looked at him as saw he was quite smitten with her. "Come," Ohm said as he slapped his handpaw on his shoulder to get his attention. "Let me buy you a drink." 

Not thinking he followed Ohm to his transport as he took him to a quiet little pub. They made their orders and waiting for them, as Ohm spoke softly. "Listen, I won't tell you who you can and can't be with in life, but just be careful with her," as he took a sip of his drink. 

"What do you mean?" Rubicant asked. 

Ohm cocked his head to the side. "You can't tell me that thought hasn't crossed your mind," he stated.

Rubicant gave an embarrassing look because it had crossed his mind, at least with wanting to get to know her. "You've been through a lot these last few cycles you've been with us. I just don't want to see you hurt, is all." Ohm said sympathetically. 

Rubicant took a sip of his drink and realized that Ohm had become a good friend to him. He opened up to Ohm, there, at the table. Telling him about his worries with his brain and why his Te'dar didn't wake him. In a lot of ways, he was scared. Scared that he was already dead and that this unit he was attached to was keeping him there. Ohm gave his shoulder a firm, reassuring squeeze. "Take your time with people while you’re here. You told once that the GrandMaster has an interest in you. It wouldn't surprise me to find out if he knew a way to bring you to our galaxy, as well as being able to save you." He said finishing his drink and getting up. 

"Headed back to work so soon?" Rubicant asked. 

"Nope, home to the mate and my younglings. I'm taking an early day today." He said with a smile, as Rubicant finished his drink letting Ohm take him back to the hotel.