Secrets

Here is the second point of view character, Ziona.

Ziona: Chapter 1

She piloted her ship gracefully through the asteroid belt, over one asteroid and in-between two others, with a final roll to get through a tight space. A smile appeared on her bright face as she moved with ease through the large chunks of rock and ice. Her intense blue eyes studied the three asteroids that were floating slowly towards each other. The gap between them was gradually becoming smaller. The woman sped her small one-person ship up to full speed to slide through the gap before it was gone. Her smile faded as she focused all her concentration on finding the right angle to get through.

They were closing in around her. She was pushing her ship as hard as she could, but still the asteroids were closing in faster than she anticipated. They crashed together behind her as she passed through with tremendous speed. She escaped the grips of death, temporarily, but the massive brown rocks had collided with the back of her ship.

Alarms were ringing in the cockpit alerting her to the severe damage caused by the impact. Her engines were out, and she knew that the chemicals that powered them were in danger of mixing, causing a fatal explosion. She tried to shut off the engines and fuel pumps but it was too late. No, no, no! It wasn’t supposed to happen this way! The cockpit shook violently, and the screen went black. The alarms stopped and the cockpit lowered and opened revealing a large circular room.

“Congratulations,” a man said sarcastically from behind some computer consoles across the room. “You’ve successfully succeeded in having a little bit of fun at the cost of your own life as well as priceless equipment. I’m very disappointed in you, Ziona.”

Ziona unbuckled herself from the simulation cockpit and climbed out into the large space beyond. There were many computer screens and consoles to record the activities of the simulator, and display the life-like images on the screen, but much of the space in the building was open, leaving room for many people to work.

“I should have gone around the asteroids, I know,” Ziona said addressing the man walking towards her. Her jet black hair had been pulled back in a bun and held tight to prevent it from getting in her way, though now a few strands, that had fallen free from the violent simulation, framed her face. She wore a green jumpsuit with trimmings of dark jade as well as markings to indicate her rank and division, ensign of the Alae Comets, a group of explorers in the Rutherian Space Fleet. “I was caught up in the moment, and I thought that since it was just a simulation I might as well try and see how far I could go.”

“Your actions were very childish,” her commanding officer said. “I might have let this type of activity pass during your first few years in the space program, but you are nineteen now, Ziona. This sort of behavior is well past your years.” He stood tall when he talked to her, holding his hands behind his back, and looking down at her. He wore a similar uniform, but his was more decorative indicating the command position he held. His light brown hair was slicked back, and his dark green eyes glared down at Ziona.

She looked down at her feet, avoiding his judging looks. “It will not happen again, captain, you have my word,” she said.

“It had better not,” Mikale warned. “If I hear any other reports of childlike behavior from you, I will be sure to assign the mission to another ensign. Maybe ensign Bevila?”

The very mention of her name made Ziona furious. She looked up into her commanding officer’s emerald eyes. “I will not disappoint you. There is no need for you to even think of offering it to Bevila. I will not let you down.”

“I should hope not,” Mikale glanced up at a clock on the wall across the room. “You should go. It’s getting late. You will need your rest for tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, sir,” she responded. “If I may, could I practice one more time in the simulator before I leave?”

“Very well, one more test flight.” Mikale turned back to the two engineers and four officers behind the computer consoles running the simulator. The officers wore uniforms like Mikale’s, but the engineers wore plain white uniforms that covered them from shoulder to foot. “Prepare the simulator for mission one-twenty-one,” he commanded as he walked towards them, leaving Ziona to prepare.

She was climbing into the cockpit when she heard the mission number. She had never been able to complete mission one-twenty-one. However, she was not about to ask for a different mission. She knew she could not show any sign of weakness. She was one of the top running contestants for a promotion and position on a deep space mission to a neighboring solar system with four other veteran astronauts. It was the first manned mission to another solar system. Her closest rival was Bevila. Bevila had always been right behind her in the standings, even when they had just started their careers as astronauts at the age of twelve.

She sat down and buckled herself into the seat. The simulator rose, and the screen activated, showing a blue green planet with two moons orbiting it.

“Ziona,” Mikale’s voice sounded through the headset Ziona wore. It covered one of her ears, and extended a small microphone down her jaw to her mouth. “Your mission is to make a full scan of the planet without damaging or engaging in communications with any life forms on the surface.”

Ziona took control of the ship, and started to move it towards the surface of the planet. She began to run scans on the surface, and soon detected an industrial civilization on the surface, though it was a society that had not yet mastered space travel. The detail of the scans she received was not the quality needed for the science academy. She had to get more precise scans, but the only way to get the scans would be by flying lower to the surface, risking exposure to the civilization, something she was ordered not to do.

Ziona flew her ship towards the dark side of the planet, and could see the lights of the civilization twinkling across the surface. Her heart was racing: she had done this countless times before, and every time she had failed in one way or another. More often than not the people living on the planet detected her.

Once, she succeeded in accidentally destroying a power generator on the planet while trying to block their scans. That had resulted in the deaths of nearly three hundred thousand people on the simulated world. She flew over a dark spot of ocean and began to descend into the atmosphere of the planet. All the while she was running scans waiting for the signal to be strong enough to give her a decent reading. There were many abnormalities in the atmosphere of the planet, which blocked some of her scans.

She reached an altitude low enough to pick up a strong signal, but she still had to make a complete orbit to get a full scan of the planet. The civilizations on the surface possessed radar technology, her scans showed, and would pick up her ship if she flew too close to a city, causing her to fail yet again. Ziona hovered over the dark waters of the sea as she thought about the best way take the scans.

She opened up a communication with Mikale, “This is ensign Ziona, calling the Rutherian space fleet.”

“This is the Rutherian space fleet, what do you need?” Mikale answered through her headset.

“I am in the atmosphere of planet one-twenty-one, and need to report a change in my situation.”

“Please explain,” Mikale replied.

“According to our previous intelligence on this particular planet, we believed that they did not possess radar technology. My scans now show that to be incorrect. I do not believe I can successfully complete a pass of the planet without being detected by the indigenous population.”

“Can you complete the scan from a higher orbit?” Mikale asked.

“No, there is too much interference from the atmosphere. I believe it too great a risk to attempt.”

“Are you saying you cannot complete the mission?” he asked, his voice anything but comforting.

She had never tried to talk out her problem with her commanding officer during the mission. She always assumed that she was supposed to complete the mission no matter the cost. “Not without alerting the population to my presence,” she answered.

“So you admit failure?”

The words were a slap to her face, but what choice did she have? She swallowed a groan and said, “Yes. It is impossible.” Great, I’ve failed it yet again.

“Congratulations, Ziona,” Mikale said. “You pass.” The simulation shut off once he said those words, and the hatch opened. Ziona took off her headset and unbuckled herself from the seat. She climbed out of the simulator.

“I don’t understand,” she said walking towards the men at the computers. “I wasn’t able to complete the assigned mission.”

“That is the point,” Mikale said. “It was a no-pass mission. There is no way to successfully complete one-twenty-one. You have to accept that in real life you cannot always succeed. The point of this simulation is to train us to notice the times when it is appropriate to accept failure and abort instead of risking unnecessary complications.”

“I don’t think I fully understand, sir,” she confessed. Why would there be a mission I couldn’t pass?

“Someday you will understand,” he said with a smile. “Now go home and get some rest. You need to be back here in nine hours. I will see you then.”

“I will be here on time,” Ziona promised as she left her commanding officer and the simulator, and headed to the locker room. She changed out of her uniform, and was placing her clothes in a bag to take home when Bevila walked in.

“And I thought I was the only one who took these simulations seriously,” Bevila said as she opened her locker.

“Surprise, you are not the only person in the world, Bevila,” Ziona said sarcastically as she shut her locker and began to walk out.

“No, you’re right, there’s also Ekin. He let me know he existed today,” Bevila said with a smirk as she took off her uniform. She was a thin muscular woman, from all the rigorous training that space fleet demanded. Her light blonde hair was tied in a bun like Ziona’s, according to the training and missions’ regulations. Her eyes were a very light brown, with a darker shade of amber lining them. They seemed to glare at Ziona. She always felt a sort of contempt from Bevila whenever she talked with her.

“What is that suppose to mean?” Ziona asked, stopping in her tracks and turning to face Bevila.

“Let’s just say, I think he likes younger women.” She gave Ziona a dark smile as she slid her shirt over head. Bevila was a year younger than Ziona, though just as smart, making her Ziona’s toughest rival.

“He wouldn’t do something like that,” Ziona said as she let her bag slide down her arm and onto the ground. She wasn’t sure what he did, but from the way Bevila was talking, Ziona didn’t think it wasn’t good.

“Well he did. Why don’t you just ask him?” Bevila said placing her clothes in her locker. “Or better yet, read his mind.” She said the words slowly letting each one pierce Ziona deep in her core.

Ziona made no reaction to her comment, but a sensation of utter chaos began to build up inside her stomach from the verbal attack. She felt like she would soon vomit.

“Don’t think no one knows what you are, Tellie,” she said as she tied her shoes and put her clothes in her locker.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ziona managed to say as her heart raced inside her chest. It was her biggest secret. No one was supposed to know about her powers, what made her different from others. She had hidden her telepathy and telekinesis from the Rutherian Council at the age of five. She was not even sure how she was able to do hide them. No one else had been able to in the past. It was the greatest crime one could do, to hide their mental gifts from the Council. Ziona, however, had done just that. Those who were telepathic were instantly added to the Council, and if they showed signs of telekinesis, they would gain even more prestige among the council members. She could not imagine living her life as one of the Council members, no matter how much wealth, power, or honor it would bring to her house. She could never bring herself to order and rule other people, unless her ranking was well earned through hard work. It was a great privilege to be on the Council, and everything in Ziona’s society tried to tell her that it would be the best for her, but for some reason it never felt right to her. She knew she was meant for more than just sitting and telling people what to do.

“Don’t worry, Zi, I have no intention of telling your precious Mikale about what you really are.” Bevila stood up and approached Ziona, standing so close that their faces nearly touched. “I’d feel a lot better about myself if I was able to out do not only someone a year older than me, but also someone much more powerful.” She laughed a little to herself. “Oh, think of the stories I could tell my children, about how I placed higher than a Tellie in the space program.”

“Last I heard, I was still ahead of you in the standings, Bev,” Ziona said as Bevila began to walk away. “And I still don't know where you come up with your lies.”

“Lies?” Bevila asked, barking the word through a laugh, before she left the locker room. “I’m not the one who has been lying her entire life, am I?” She then left Ziona alone in the room lit by bright florescent lights.

Ziona stood a few minutes trying to gather her thoughts. At last she picked up her bag, and left the room. She walked to the metro station, and boarded one of the light rail trains. The ride to her neighborhood was short, but the entire time Ziona could not help but think about what Bevila had said. Would Ekin really tell her my secret? She needed to talk to him. She did not care how late at night it was; she had to talk to him. She stepped off the train and walked up the stairs to street level.

Her home city was moderately sized, not the biggest she had ever been to, but there definitely were smaller cities on her planet. The tall buildings rose up around her as she walked down the well-lit streets towards her home. As usual there were many people out late at night walking up and down the main roads. Ziona would always mind her own business as she walked down the sidewalk at night, never interacting with anyone she did not need to. She had heard enough stories about what can happen if the wrong person saw her or tried to take her. More often than not the crimes were directed towards people who were a part of the underworld of crime on Rutheria. Every now and then, however, it would be directed towards a seemingly innocent member of society.

She always felt safe, however, because she did have a degree of protection that most girls her age do not, her telepathy. If a man tried to take control of her, she could mess with his thoughts, stopping him from moving. She had never tested it though. She was always hesitant about her gifts. She did not know how much power she actually had, and never wanted to practice them because she did not want to risk being discovered for what she really was.

As she walked through the crowded streets, she bumped into one man she did not see walking towards her. He was a tall man, with dark hair like hers, but darker skin. When she came in contact with him, his mind opened to her like a book. She could see everything about him for a short second. There was nothing to fear from him, but she still felt horrible for reading his thoughts.

“Sorry,” Ziona said as she repositioned her bag on her shoulder, and prayed a silent prayer that the man did not notice her powers.

“Sorry,” he echoed, in response not even turning to face her, as he kept walking. Ziona turned and continued back to her own home.

Her family lived on the second floor of an apartment building in a nice neighborhood. The only downside was that it was a little overpopulated. Their balcony had a good view of the ocean, and the southern portion of the city. When she entered her house, the hall light was on, and her mother was still up, clothed in a bathrobe, sitting in one of the chairs they had in the entry room.

“Ziona, do you know what time it is?” her mother asked from the chair as she gazed into the flames of the candles on the nightstand nearby.

“Yes mother, I know it’s late,” Ziona said shutting the door and taking off her shoes. “I had to spend a little more time in the simulator than I thought.”

“Could you at least call next time?” her mother asked as she stood up and walked towards her daughter. Ziona truly was a daughter of her mother. They looked so similar that at times people would confuse pictures of Ziona’s mother, Stadi, in her youth with pictures of Ziona. They had the same hair and eye color, except that Ziona had her father’s oval eye shape, and small ears, as well as her father’s height. Ziona stood a few inches over her mother. Stadi took her daughter’s bag of dirty clothes.

“I will,” Ziona promised as she handed her bag to her mother. “It’s just that the selection for the deep space mission will be finalized next week, and I want to make sure I am the one chosen.”

“Please don’t talk about the deep space mission, you know how I feel about it,” Stadi said, placing the clothes in the washer and starting the machine. “Every time you go up into orbit, or on a quick mission to the moon or Gria, I can’t sleep at night. My mind always wanders, thinking of all the things that could be happening to you at that moment, and how I wouldn’t know until some stranger from the Space Fleet shows up at my door.” She moved back to the entry room and sat down. Ziona followed. “I just wish you would reconsider. No, I wish the Council had never assigned you to the space program. I wish you could have just been a simple teacher, or politician. Something where you would be safe on the surface.”

“Mom, you know this has been my dream, even before the Council assigned me to the space program. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I want to do this. Don’t worry. I’ll be safe. I won’t do anything risky while I’m out there.”

“I just keep thinking of everything that could go wrong,” Stadi pulled out a small cloth and began to wipe the tears that were forming in her eyes. Ziona sat down next to her mother, and placed her arm around her.

“It’s only a two month mission, then I will be home for at least a year, probably even longer,” Ziona said to soothe her mother.

“I know,” Stadi said. “There’s nothing I can do to stop you. It is what was chosen for you, and you’re nearly an adult now. How many more months is it?”

“Seven,” Ziona answered.

“Seven,” Stadi echoed in reflection. “Seven more months, and you won’t be my little baby any more,” She said with a sad smile as she looked up at her grown daughter.

“But, I’ll still be your daughter,” Ziona said wiping a tear from her mother’s cheek. “I’ll just be older, and starting a life of my own.”

Stadi smiled at her beautiful daughter. “Well, I should get back to bed before your father begins to worry.”

“Okay,” Ziona said standing up with her mother. “I just have to call one person, and then I’ll head to bed.”

“Who do you have to call this late?” her mother asked turning back to face her daughter.

“A friend,” Ziona said as she walked to her room.

“Fine, be secretive,” her mother joked, while walking to her own room.

Ziona turned on the light to her room, and her large pet looked up from her bed. It was a large furry animal, nearly half her size, with shaggy black hair, that nearly made its face invisible. “Hi Kindos,” she said to the animal as she walked into her room.

The pet placed his head back down on the bed and let out a soft sigh, then closed his eyes to sleep. Ziona sat at her desk, and flipped up her videophone to call Ekin. She pulled her hair out of its bun, tossing it about to work out the static, and let the black curls fall to her mid-back as she waited for the phone to connect with Ekin’s.

He appeared on the screen, his eyes half open still fighting off sleep, and his light brown hair had been pushed every which way from lying on a pillow. “What is it Ziona?” he asked in a groggy voice.

“What did you and Bevila do today?” Ziona asked as she looked at the young man on the screen. He was a year older than Ziona, and lived down the street from her. They had become fast friends growing up.

“What? Nothing. What are you talking about?” he asked, the forward question causing his mind to awaken a little more.

“She said that you two had spent time together today, and then she began to act like she knew my secret,” Ziona said the last part in a low whisper so her parents would not hear.

“I saw her today downtown,” Ekin admitted. “But we did not talk about you or anything important. We talked for maybe ten minutes, then I had to keep going or else I would miss my train.”

“Do you have any idea how she could have found out the truth about me?” Ziona asked as she pondered this little mystery.

“I don’t know. Did you tell her she was right?” Ekin asked.

“No, of course not! Why would I tell her?” Ziona looked away from the screen as she tried to gather her thoughts.

“Maybe she just had a hunch, and was trying to trap you,” Ekin suggested. “She has been around you almost every day for the past seven years. She might just suspect something.”

“Maybe, but she seemed pretty sure of herself,” Ziona said worried about who else might know her secret.

“Who else have you told besides me?” Ekin asked.

“No one. Well my parents sort of. I think they hope if they ignore it, it will go away,” Ziona confessed as she turned her eyes back to the monitor. “I even had my doubts about telling you, but I knew you needed to know at some point.”

“Well, my advice would be to just ignore her, and any accusations she may throw at you. The last thing you need is to slip up and have the whole planet learn the truth about you. You know what the law says about those who hide their powers from the Council.”

“I know,” Ziona said recalling to memory the dreaded law. “Well, I should get some rest. I have to wake up in six hours if I want to get to the academy on time tomorrow.”

“Wow, early day,” Ekin said with a slight laugh.

“Yeah, tell me about it. I’ll be done with everything early evening. Do you want to get dinner afterwards?” Ziona asked as she looked at the beautiful man on the screen.

“Sure, I’d love to,” he said with a bright smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“I’ll stop by your place tomorrow after training. Good night,” Ziona said.

“Good night,” Ekin said. They terminated the phone call.