Page 3 of Whispers of the Void (Voidborn Chronicles #1)

CHAPTER 3

NEEV

* * *

A m I dead?

The question flies into my brain as bright light filters through my eyelids. I decide to keep my eyes closed as the memories come crashing back. I was taken from my quarters by three intruders. An alarm from the monitor attached to me alerts someone to my spiked heart rate.

Hushed voices and quiet footsteps approach. Male voices. I’m not on Oculus Nine.

My heart begins to race when I feel a warm hand on my forearm.

“Sister Neev,” the unfamiliar voice greets me softly. “It’s okay. You’re safe. Open your eyes.”

Tears gather under my still closed eyelids as I shake my head. “Put me back to sleep,” I whisper hoarsely.

“I can’t do that.” He pulls his hand from my skin. “My name is Hyva Taorin. I’m the chief medical officer on the Ryx 322, a Zeahiri battleship. No harm will come to you.”

Zeahiri.

I search my mind for any crumb of knowledge about them. Their planet orbits a red dwarf in the outer band of the galaxy. They’re known for being extremely violent with brutal customs dating back millennia.

Gathering all my courage I open my eyes, blinking a few times until he comes into focus. My gaze immediately locks on his dark red eyes. I’ve met many different people while living on Oculus Nine but rarely have any of them been as intimidating as the male looking down on me. He towers over me, his body broad with muscle that is clear even beneath the fabric of his uniform. His skin is a pale gray with darker stripes of gray wrapping around his neck and the back of his hands.

Because the Zeahiri evolved from the sea.

Their coloring must be a remnant from those days. In fact, two of his fingers look as though they may be partially webbed. I try to sit up, but my arms are restrained at my biceps. My brows slam together as I look from the bands holding me down up to the medic’s face.

“Apologies. I was instructed by the commander to keep you restrained.”

“Why?” It’s not as though I could get anywhere.

He doesn’t answer me, just tilts his head slightly and steps away from the bedside just as a bigger, taller male strides in. He’s the most striking male I’ve ever seen. Similar coloring to the medic, except his hair is longer on top, and instead of the deep crimson eyes, his are verdant green. I can’t help but wonder if they glow in the dark. A jagged scar runs across his neck, the only imperfection to be found on his imposing form.

I shrink back into the bed; my base instincts recognizing the predator that approaches me. His gaze runs the length of me, as if taking stock of my physical condition. I feel the brush of his eyes as they rove from the tips of my toes up the sheet draped over me all the way to my forehead. His lips flatten into a straight line.

“Sister Neev. I’m Commander Raiz Asterean.” The deep timbre of his voice sends shivers down my spine. “We need your help translating a text.”

I blink in surprise. “I could have done that on Oculus Nine.”

“No. It’s not a text that can be given to the Order.”

Fair enough. “You could have requested my assistance from the high priestess. I could have met you on Calindrea.”

“No.”

“Am I a prisoner?”

“No.”

“I’m free to leave then?” I raise a brow, doing my best to bluff self-assertiveness that I most definitely do not feel.

“No.”

“That’s quite contradictory. Why am I restrained?”

“For your safety.”

“I pose no threat to myself.” I don’t pose a threat to anyone on this ship.

He doesn’t wait for the medical officer, just reaches down and presses a button on a console beside the bed. The cuffs immediately release my arms. The medic walks around to the other side of the bed and places a light hand on my shoulder, keeping me from pulling myself into a sitting position.

“Let me help.” He presses a button, and the back of the bed rises until I’m in a comfortable seated position.

“Thank you.” I incline my head.

“I told Sister Andira that we would return you safely after the text is translated.”

“And she approved it?”

He inclines his head.

I don’t believe him. There’s no way they’d just let someone abduct me from my quarters and then approve leave. At least I don’t think they would. But it’s not as though I understand every decision she makes.

“How did you convince her?” I ask.

“Told her you’re the only one who can do the task while vowing to keep you safe.”

I run my fingers over the tender spot on my forehead, feeling the raised skin of a healing cut. “You’re doing an awful job so far.”

“I’ll endeavor to improve,” he says flatly before turning to Hyva. “Can she be taken to her quarters or does she need to stay under observation?”

Hyva begins pulling sensors from my skin. “She can go.” He meets my eyes. “If you have need of me, all you need to do is tell the ship-wide computer. I’ll be alerted and come to wherever you are.”

I dangle my legs over the side of the bed, immediately aware of the fact that I’m still in my pajamas. Cool air brushes against the bare skin of my legs as goosebumps ripple across my flesh. As soon as my feet hit the floor and I stand, I’m aware of just how big these males are. I’m average height for a human woman and barely come up to mid-chest on these two.

The commander sweeps his arm out in a gesture for me to walk through the door first. He falls into step beside me quietly. For a being so large, he moves with a surprising amount of stealth.

I tear my focus from him and examine my surroundings as he leads down a long corridor. The walls are made from deep gray paneling. Two lines of lights line each wall along the floor. Dim red lights shine from above.

“I apologize for the abrupt way you were brought on board,” the commander says. “Time is of the essence. We don’t have time to play political games.”

“So you settled on abduction,” I say dryly.

“Yes.” His confirmation is a matter of fact. “I must stress again that you are not a prisoner on board this ship, though.”

He leads me onto a lift, and as the door closes, locking us in the small space together, I smell him. His scent is intoxicating. I can’t identify the notes, but it takes all my willpower not to lean over and sniff at him like some sort of animal. I part my lips, determined not to inhale through my nose again until we’re out of this small box.

There are more Zeahirians walking through the corridor as we step from the lift. “This is the crew quarters level. The mess hall is through those doors.” He stops and points behind us. “There is a training center that way.” He points to the end of the hall in the direction we’re walking. “And beyond that is the recreation hall, including a small library.”

“How long until we get to your planet?” I appreciate the tour, but I doubt I’ll be spending much time in the common areas.

“Ten to twelve days. It would have been sooner, but our ship was damaged trying to evade the Order.”

My eyes snap up to his unnaturally green ones. “Damaged how? The Order doesn’t have weapons.”

His brow creases as he holds my gaze. “You are mistaken. They repeatedly fired at us.”

Two doors slide open in front of us, revealing nicer-than-I-was-anticipating quarters. Everything is still dim with the same lighting as the corridors, but long rectangular windows line the walls, allowing for a beautiful view of space.

There’s a long desk on one side of the open room and several oversize chairs. Oversize for me, at least, but given his size, it makes sense their furniture would be larger than what I’m used to. I catch a glimpse through a bedroom doorway.

“There’s a food synthesizer along this wall.” He lifts a panel revealing a built-in kitchenette similar to what I have back home. “It’s programmed for human dietary needs, but don’t feel as though you need to stay sequestered back here. The synths in the mess hall have been updated for you as well.”

“Okay.” I look around, trying to take everything in. “Do you have clothes for me? I obviously wasn’t given time to pack.” I arch a brow.

“Not yet.” He disappears into the bedroom and comes back out with a black long-sleeve shirt and pants. “They’ll be too big for you but should work for now.”

I take the items, surprised by how soft the fabric is. It’s clearly part of their military uniforms, so I was expecting something stiff and uncomfortable. I set the clothing down and look from his face to the door, silently asking him to leave. I’m not going to thank him for providing the bare minimum when he abducted me from my quarters in the middle of the night.

I don’t fully understand the goal of all this, at least not yet. The only thing I know is that he isn’t telling me the entire truth about everything. I don’t trust him. I won’t trust him or anyone on this ship until I know more.

* * *

I’m not sure how long I slept or how many days have gone by. As soon as I laid my head down in the huge bed, I lost myself to sleep. It took me longer than I’d like to figure out the shower, but now that I’m clean, healed, and rested, I slip into the clothing the Commander gave me. It’s all too big, but I’ve made do by rolling the waistband and tying the hem into a small knot behind my back.

I’m finger combing my wet hair when the door to my quarters whooshes open. The commander strides in with no warning. He stops short when he sees me, his eyes dragging up and down my body. The expression on his face is unreadable as he holds out a pile of clothing and a pair of boots to me.

“These have all been tailored to fit you.”

“Thank you.” I take the clothing. “But how did you know my size?”

“The beds in med bay record all measurements.”

“Oh.”

One of his slanted eyebrows lifts as he stares quietly at me. “Get dressed. I need to brief you with the rest of my officers in fifteen minutes. I’ll be waiting in the hall.” He turns on his heel and leaves the same way he came in.

I shake my head at how abrupt of an encounter that was before heading back into my room and changing. Stacked beneath the shirts are several bras and pairs of underwear. I’m curious how they were able to get all this to me because we haven’t passed a system in days. Or however long it’s been since I was given a room.

Everything fits perfectly. I kneel to tie my shoes and wish for something to pull my hair back with as it sweeps past my shoulders and curtains my face.

The commander is standing across the corridor from my door when I walk out. He had been focused on a tablet in his hand, but now I once again find myself the center of his intense attention. For the third time I stand frozen while he looks me up and down without speaking.

It’s awkward but not lewd. I feel as if it’s more of an appraisal than anything else. Saying I didn’t find it intimidating would be a lie, though.

“Are the clothes acceptable?” He inclines his head and begins to walk down the hall.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“You haven’t come out of your quarters.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Why?”

Is he really asking me that?

“I don’t know, it may have something to do with being kidnapped.”

“I told you that you are not a prisoner.”

“So I’m free to leave?”

“There’s nowhere to go. I doubt you’d want to be sent out of an air lock.”

He leads me through a set of doors and into a room with a long table. Around it sit five Zeahirian officers. Hyva gives me a smile, the first I’ve seen since being on board. His incisors are sharp points, like fangs. I give him a tentative smile in return.

“This is Sister Neev Kaesong.” The commander pulls a seat out for me. “This is my first officer, Captain Altis Jai.”

The male seated to the left raises a hand in greeting.

“My pilot, Captain Vynia Jai.”

The only other female I’ve seen on board gives me a nod. She looks identical to the first officer, so I’m going to guess that they’re siblings and not a couple.

“Lieutenant Mydax is my second in command.”

The male looks me up and down skeptically. Fair enough. It’s not like I trust anyone in this room.

“Finally, my chief engineer Cuna. You already know Hyva.”

“I’d prefer to just be called Neev. You don’t need to use my title.” I look around at the group assembled. “I assume I’m finally going to hear why you need my assistance.”

“Yes.” Commander Asterean types something into his tablet and a holographic image materializes on the center of the table. “This is the tome you’ll be translating.”

I lean forward focusing on the grainy image to see if I recognize anything on the front. The hologram is too blurry, and, because they stole me away in the middle of the night, I don’t have my glasses.

“Had you acquired my help more diplomatically,” I shoot a pointed look in the commander’s direction, “I would have been able to grab my glasses, so I’d be prepared for the strain on my eyes. Am I to translate via hologram?”

“No.”

“You haven’t been given the corrective procedure for eyesight?” Hyva frowns.

“They tried twice. It’s always failed.” I wave a hand dismissively. “I see perfectly fine most of the time. I’m usually bothered the most while working.” And at the end of the days when the strain leaves me with pounding headaches and double vision.

I look over at the Commander to find him and Hyva giving each other an indecipherable look. They must have worked together closely for a long time to be able to have silent conversations like that. In fact, this entire group feels like an impenetrable unit. I can’t help the pang of envy I feel at thought. Spending my life learning and working mostly independently I have never had that type of bond. Aside from Torre, I don’t really even have friends. I never realized how isolated I was until now.