The Time Voyager's Obsession

Impression - I

“Hello, Jael,” Tiberius greeted the man evenly. “It’s been a while.”

“It has been, hasn’t it? You’ve aged well, Tiberius,” the man called Jael answered bitterly, “Or should I say, Sano Var?”

Hana looked up at him sharply. The Voyager’s gaze never strayed from Jael’s hostile stare.

“The criminal, Sano Var, is dead,” he spat out, “I saw his body myself.”

“Well, that’s convenient, isn’t it?” Jael smirked sardonically, “That you were the only one to see him in such a state. Am I to believe you at your word, then?”

“I am still your captain,” Tiberius asserted. “My word is law.”

“Your word is madness!” Jael snarled, lowering his face so that his nose was only inches from Tiberius’s. “Madness and death are what you have brought to our world. Naphus is consumed by it, and it has fallen to me to serve over the chaos as acting captain! You do not realize the destruction your selfishness has brought down upon us all! You are a traitor!”

“I accept my portion of the blame. For forsaking my vows, I deserve to be punished under the highest penalty of law. I will yield to that punishment as soon as I have restored our world to order, but I am not Sano. I am not guilty of his crimes. I did not steal our Queen, I have only sought to return her,” Tiberius argued passionately. Hana’s eyes widened, and her mouth opened to correct him. The words hung in her throat when he met her furious gaze entreatingly. He was asking her to play along with his charade.

“You would have me believe that this woman is our lost Queen?” Jael asked sharply, his voice plagued by doubt.

“Does she not bear the exact likeness of Tahlia?” Tiberius challenged, looking down at her intently.

“Do not presume to speak of our Queen with such gross familiarity, traitor! You will refer to her as Her Divine Eminence while in my presence!” Jael thundered.

“As you say,” Tiberius snapped, “yet my question still stands. Is she not the very image of our Queen?”

Jael looked Hana over with uncertainty, scrutinizing every inch of her person for Tahlia’s likeness.

“She is, but if you swear that Sano was an imposter, then how am I to know that this woman isn’t as well?” Jael asked, the muzzle of his gun still kissing Tiberius’s forehead.

“Why don’t you question her yourself? Her Divine Eminence has ears to hear and a mouth to answer,” Tiberius mocked him.

“Perhaps I will,” Jael returned, accepting his challenge. Hana grit her teeth and her nostrils flared as she scowled up at Tiberius. How was she supposed to pretend to be Tahlia when she had never met the woman and knew next to nothing about her?

“Your Divine Eminence, I apologize for questioning you if I have indeed been misled,” Jael said, speaking to Hana directly. “Please identify this man,” the captain requested, gesturing to where Tiberius was still positioned on top of her.

In truth, Hana herself was no longer sure. Had she really been so ready to surrender herself to the Voyager only moments earlier? Her s****l arousal had evaporated along with her trust. Even so, Tiberius had saved her life multiple times. She could not find it in herself to betray him.

“He is Tiberius Var, captain of the royal guard of Naphus,” Hana replied, filling in the name of the planet that she had heard Jael reference earlier.

“Did he force you to leave our world with him?” Jael pressed her, glowering down at Tiberius accusingly.

“No,” Hana said, thinking quickly on her feet, “Sano Var kidnapped me and forced me to travel with him through the multiverse. He had me held hostage within the prison labor camp of Mala Fide on the distant planet of Astra Glacies. Tiberius came to rescue me.”

The Voyager gave her a subtle wink at her cleverness, and Hana had to fight the urge to smack him. She despised the way the small gesture made her heart lurch in her chest. Tiberius would owe her a thorough explanation if they both managed to survive the night at the whim of their uninvited guests.

Jael lowered the gun, gesturing Tiberius away from Hana with a flick of his wrist, as though swatting at a fly. Easing off of her slowly, he pushed himself up into a sitting position beside her. Tiberius held out his hand to help her rise but Hana ignored it. With a wince she sat up of her own accord, shooting him a black look over her shoulder.

“And your parents, my Queen, what were their names?” Jael continued with his line of questioning. Behind him an armed guard of no less than ten men stood, their hardened faces awaiting Hana’s answer. There was no answer to give them, other than what knowledge she possessed of her own history. She hoped Tiberius knew what he was doing when he had forced her to speak.

“King Tibor and Queen Jenesis,” she said, using her mother’s full name. Hana prayed to the heavens that she wasn’t wrong. Jael gave a curt nod and she let out a slow exhale.

“One last question, my Queen, perhaps requiring a bit more insight on your part. What was our late King’s most prized possession?”

Tiberius inhaled sharply beside her and Hana bit back a rush of irritation. He had put too much faith in her ability to lie. It made no matter, she would still endeavor to save them, even without his assistance. Hana’s brow furrowed and she nibbled at her lip in concentration. If Tahlia’s father was anything like her own, then books were among his most prized possessions. She almost replied with The Iliad, but that was a work most likely confined to her universe alone. Thinking back to the countless nights she had spent reading tucked within her father’s warm embrace, the answer dawned on her with sudden clarity. A smile twisted at Hana’s lips and she met Jael’s eye with a look she hoped channeled Tahlia.

“Why, myself, of course,” she replied imperiously, feigning confidence. Tiberius’s eyes snapped down to her with anguish, and Hana knew that her impression of the dead Queen had hit its mark. Jael took a knee before her, dipping his head in a low bow.

“Forgive me my ignorance, Your Divine Eminence. I would have come sooner had I known you were still alive. As your captain, I will not fail you again,” Jael spoke to the sand, his words imbued with due humility.

Hana found the man’s loyalty moving, but she had a feeling that Tahlia would have been far less impressed. She held back the gratitude on her tongue and simply said, “Rise, Captain Jael.”

The man did as she bid, extending a hand to help her up from the sand. She took it and stood, the pain in her rib cage throbbing to life.

“You are injured, my Queen?” Jael asked with concern, eyeing Hana’s tensed expression and the bandages around her arms and torso.

“Yes, I was physically assaulted during my imprisonment at Mala Fide,” she explained, holding a hand over her side protectively.

“I have been tending to Her Eminence’s wounds,” Tiberius rumbled from behind her, suddenly alarmingly close. His hand came to rest on her shoulder, and Hana could feel the heat rising from her skin beneath his touch.

“Have you indeed, Tiberius?” Jael smiled tightly. The tension between the two men was palpable, and Hana looked away awkwardly. “If I may, my Queen,” Jael turned to face Hana, extending his arm to assist her. She took it without hesitation, eager to spite Tiberius. The captain escorted her into the jungle and back towards the encampment.

All the way, she could feel Jael’s eyes bearing down upon her. Hana wondered if she had in fact made some error in judgment. Could the captain have already seen straight through her lies? What would he do to her if he did learn the truth? Tiberius would most certainly be executed on the spot, Jael’s dislike for the Voyager was so thinly concealed. Without Tiberius to ward off the army of men, Hana could not begin to contemplate what fate would await her. She shivered despite herself, a reaction that did not go unnoticed beneath the weight of Jael’s piercing gaze.

“Are you cold my Queen?” he asked accommodatingly, “We have brought with us a surplus of provisions. There are blankets, food, water, any basic comfort you may require. I will of course provide you with my quarters once we arrive back on the ship. They are sparse, but I believe they will ensure your comfort on our journey. Unless of course, you would prefer to remain in sim for the duration. That would be understandable, and I can assure you that the men would take no offense.”

“In sim?” Hana questioned before she could think better of herself.

“Yes, my Queen,” Jael replied, his brow furrowed, “I only thought that perhaps you would wish to remain in simulated sleep while your injuries heal.”

“Yes, of course, Jael,” Hana returned with as much composure as she could manage. “That would be preferable.”

Though Hana had never been off-planet, she could recall some of Rus Belias’s foreign dignitaries referring to simulated travel. It was terribly expensive, immersive technology that was usually reserved for members of the galactic upper class: royalty, politicians, celebrities, and investors among them. While in simulation, a passenger’s body could sleep during periods of extended travel while their mind enjoyed the luxuries of virtual reality.

“We will be leaving tonight, then?” Hana asked warily, feeling that every question pushed her farther away from the persona of Tahlia.

“In the morning with all haste, my Queen,” Jael corrected, “Our ship is on the other side of the island, and I do not wish for you to make the journey tonight in your condition. In the light of day, I can bring a speeder to collect you. Then we can leave Hausafan without delay. I have checked our fuel levels and there is enough to last us until we reach the settled territories. Then we can refuel and be on our way to Naphus.”

“Remind me, Captain, how long is the course between Hausafan and Naphus?” Hana asked, trying to choose her words carefully.

“Two weeks at sustained flight speed, my Queen, though we will be passing through Tarthac restricted space C9. I see no immediate danger from the Tarthacs, though. They are territorial, but I doubt even they would halt an imperial cruiser set on a home course. I can assure you, Your Eminence, we will be taking all of the necessary precautions.”

“How did you come to find us on Hausafan, Captain?” Tiberius called darkly from behind them, abruptly changing the subject. Hana could not say if the irritation in his tone spawned from his dislike of Jael, or if she was posing too many questions to the shrewd captain.

“Though I may be more restricted than you in my abilities, Tiberius, I still consider myself a learned man. Everyone knows that Hausafan is one of only a handful of planets suitable for periods of brief habitation within our galaxy. I had the planet monitored for some time, by means of my own personal connections. I see no pressing reason to divulge these connections to you. Through them, I was alerted to the occurrence of a singularity on the planet's surface, and subsequently gained access to your whereabouts,” Jael answered haughtily.

“And these connections, that you only just managed to utilize ten years after Sano Var’s theft of our Queen, how legal are they exactly?” Tiberius scoffed.

Jael spun on him, eyeing the Voyager murderously. “Tell me, Tiberius, did you perform any more admirably? You only just recovered our lost Queen yourself, failing in every previous attempt to apprehend her abductor. An abductor who you just so happened to bear a striking resemblance to. So do not patronize me, Voyager. As I stated before, I am not beholden to justify the morality of my methods to the likes of you!”

They walked the rest of the way in tense silence, Hana’s arm grasping onto Jael’s for support. Tiberius loomed at her shoulder, and she could feel the vexation radiating off of the brooding man. As they approached the camp, Hana could see at least another dozen men milling about the clearing. At the sight of her, each soldier stopped what they were doing and stared. The attention made Hana tense with discomfort, terrified that someone among them would be able to discern her true identity. Yet as she passed, each man took a knee of respect. It was a gesture foreign to her and did nothing to dissuade her fears. She made for the shelter, longing to deliver herself from the intense scrutiny.

“Tahlia, wait, I must speak with you,” Tiberius hissed at her back, his fingers reaching out to enclose around her own. Jael looked at him reproachfully, but Hana nodded her consent. The captain left her with one last sweeping bow before he went to address his men.

“That is not my name,” Hana whispered when she was sure that he had gone, low enough so that only the Voyager could hear the venom in her words. “Do not presume to touch me, and do not ever ask me to lie for you again. I thought you were being honest with me, Tiberius. I trusted you, but you’re more a stranger to me now than ever.” She straightened and looked into his steely gaze with the authority of a Queen. “That will be all for tonight, Captain,” she said, loudly enough for all present to hear. Only then did she turn her back to him, disappearing into the sanctity of darkness.