'Where,' he swallowed, hard. Managing to find the strength after all he'd endured, one lid cracked open to a blurred beige universe. His mouth felt as though a flock of birds had taken up residence for the last month. Finally able to produce enough saliva to remove them, speech became possible. 'Where am I?'
'Iscandar,' the soft, ethereal voice floated to his ears.
The images before him surreal, dream like. He could make out an amazing amount of gold, blue and beige swirling within his field of vision. Taking the time to blink, to allow moisture to coat his pupils, the apparition clarified. Nothing looked familiar or uplifting to Alex's soft brown eyes. Where ever he'd landed, this could not be his home, his Earth.
The room felt warm, comforting, and homely. After the cold desolation of the cells on Colonel Ganz prison ship, he couldn't conceive of the reason for the difference. The beds softness conformed to his body like a lover, encasing it with kindness and affection. He hadn't experienced the gentle touch of another human in months. Ganz and his men worked him relentlessly, day and night to discover if he held any secrets to aid them in the defeat of Earth.
'Who are you?' Alex requested, suspiciously moving away from the voice issuing form an indistinct image. The bed wouldn't allow him the distance.
On the edge of his cot sat a vision sent to drive him to the brink of madness and beyond. This had to be a new and even more cleaver torture method. After the harsh conditions he suffered for months, the soft warmth came as a completely unexpected treat. Alex Wildstar wouldn't give in to such techniques. He knew Desslok and his henchmen capable of anything.
'I am Starsha,' she dipped her head, hands in the position of prayer resting in her lap. 'I found you washed up on the shore of my home. I have brought you to my house, to recover from you ordeal. I apologise for the fate you have suffered at the hands of others. Here you will be safe and given the time and opportunity to regain your health.'
'Oh,' Alex closed his eyes, unsure whether to believe the tale.
'Colonel Ganz's ship became damaged in a storm on the edge of our solar system,' Starsha's melodic voice informed. The tone offering protection, inciting trust, she continued to explain. 'It drifted into the atmosphere and crash landed in the sea not far from this island. I have sent the other survivors back to Gamalon.'
Sitting still, perched precariously on the side of his bed, the woman remained silent. Unsure how much time passed, Alex drifted in and out of the blackness he thought might be sleep. He couldn't be sure, maybe this dream sequence had become his safe haven, a way for his mind to cope with the rough treatment from Ganz's men. He'd take the respite before they came to question him again.
'Rest,' Starsha, still at his side bid him every time Alex woke. Mostly a touch of her hand sent him instantly back to unconsciousness.
When Alex managed to focus and remain alert, she added, 'you must regain your strength if you are to make it back to Earth.'
'Why are you still here?' Alex demanded, now convinced this woman must be a figment of his imagination, a coping mechanism.
Confused, he struggled to sit up. Placing a gentle hand on his chest, Starsha pushed his weakened body back into the lover like bed. Quickly it sheathed him, keeping his debilitated body captive. Taking away the warmth, the touch, the feeling of another caring being, left a strange tingle surrounding Alex's heart. Her hand, fingers spread had rested over his sternum for just a second, yet it felt like an eternity.
'I am bringing you back to health,' Starsha made a waving motion and the bed slowly inclined.
Alex's vision blurred as his head swam with the movement. Lifting a hand to his brow took a monumental effort. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten, starvation part of Ganz's methods to make him more pliable. Understanding, Starsha lifted her palm to his temple. The moment her tips stroked his hair, the giddy feeling left. Once again the touch provoked a prickling sensation, traveling at the speed of light to the centre of his brain. There it exploded like a firecracker, speeding down every neural pathway making him feel alive.
'This couch will take care of all your requirements,' she continued to work her unique magic on his nervous system, the feeling unpleasant but not painful, 'think of your needs and it will now respond.'
Taking away her touch, Starsha turned to the bedside table. The pitcher of liquid looked inviting. Shaking hands tried to hold the glass. Alex's embarrassment showed on his face when he spilt several drops onto his bare chest. Smiling at him, the woman pressed his hand to a more secure grasp, helping him lift it to his lips.
'Drink,' Starsha encouraged, 'it will help.'
'Thank you,' Alex responded.
'You are exhausted,' Starsha's light brown eyes twinkled, 'you must sleep now.' Brushing a lock of his hair back, she smiled down at him in a maternal gesture of comfort.
'What,' Alex managed as his lids grew increasingly heavy, 'did you give me.'
'The elixir of life will restore you,' she answered in a whisper.
Starsha's image faded into blackness. Over the following days, Alex Wildstar learnt to take what touch she offered. Each contact affecting him more deeply than the last, continuing for longer and making him feel vulnerable yet protected at the same time. Forcing him to drink from the same pitcher, he wouldn't be able to resist the restorative sleep that came afterwards.
A week passed when Starsha encouraged him to sit on the side of the bed. Sharing a simple meal, Alex began to wonder how his body coped without food and very little water for so long. So he asked.
'Everything you need,' she spread her hands wide, indicating the surroundings, 'is provided.'
'How?' he questioned, looking around. Seeing four beige walls and a door, Alex didn't understand.
'My planet and people long ago gave up the technology our sister planet Gamalon craved,' Starsha explained, ignoring the gasp of surprise from Alex. 'We saw the great evil it caused, how it led to the devastation of both our ecosystems. What affects Gamalon also affects Iscandar. Our planets tied and tethered in the greater universe, existing side by side. What occurs on one planet sends a shockwave through its twin. Turning inward, we defied Gamalons destructive wishes to become a peace loving race devoted greater truths. We explored the life energy generated by our people, nurtured and developed it. We discovered a greater power allowing us to build a civilisation on bioenergy, produced by every living thing.'
'That's why you're touch tingles,' Alex's expression caused her to laugh.
'Yes,' Starsha's eyes twinkled, 'your DNA is close enough to my people so I have been able to connect the energy Iscandar produces to your system. It is that which has sustained you, allowed you to recover and will bring you back to health.'
'That's how you've cured me,' Alex allowed his mind to open, experiencing the synergy she spoke of for the first time. In the background, a slight tingling sensation flickered along each nerve ending, imperceptible unless you thought about it.
'You can feel it,' Starsha looked amazed.
Yes,' Alex smiled, feeling lighter.
'I had not expected that,' Starsha commented, slight confusion displayed on her face. 'Maybe our people are closer than I have anticipated and there is hope for Iscandar after all.'
'What do you mean,' he asked. No matter how he questioned, Starsha remained silent.
The conversation and effort exhausted Alex's fragile reserves. She needed to help him back to the comfort and warmth of his healing couch. Yet each day he discovered an increase in resilience, muscles growing stronger and movement easier. By the end of the month, he could move to the dinner table under his own steam, returning exhausted but pleased with his progress.
Weeks began to pass when the nightmares started. Reliving a torture session at Ganz's hands or the battle of Pluto disturbed his sleep. He'd wake feeling exhausted, unrested, sweating and terrified. Wisps of images, emotions still assaulting his mind as the Earth crumbled into dust. Alex began to believe he might be the only human alive in the Galaxy.
Fatigue began to impede his recovery. Always his terrors ended in the loss of his only living relative, his younger brother Derek. Six years separated them in age. Yet when their parents passed away, the bond strengthened. Alex had little choice in his deployment to Pluto. His biggest regret had been leaving behind his younger sibling, just starting out after graduating from the academy.
'I have news,' Starsha seemed a little dejected as they sat down together for a meal.
She'd seemed preoccupied in the last week. Spending a large portion of time with him each day as he recovered, Starsha snuck away at intervals. Alex knew she'd been up to something. His limited strength hadn't allowed him beyond this floor of her home.
'What?' Alex questioned, suddenly fearful.
'I spoke to the Star Force today. They have discovered my duplicity,' she managed.
It took most of their meal to explain her activities over the last eight months. Sending her only sister on a suicide mission calmed Alex's nerves. Knowing Starsha suffered a similar loss brought emotions closer to the surface and finally able to be named. He felt gratitude toward the beautiful, sad woman. For the first time, he reached out a consoling hand. To Alex's astonishment and pleasure, Starsha accepted the offer.
He learnt about the formation of the Star Force, Starsha's insistence the Yamoto personally visit Iscandar. She revealed the bequest of the Cosmo DNA. For her finale, Alex Wildstar learnt he'd soon be reunited with his younger brother, now effectively the Captain of Yamato.
'Realising Gamalon is Iscandar's sister planet, I bet it hasn't stopped them,' Alex grinned. 'Starsha, you've offered the people of Earth great hope, just as you've offered me life. It is a gift that can never be repaid and one we'd take a great risk to achieve.'
'You will go home with them.' Not a question but a statement. It made both stop, realising the bond they'd come to share over the months, living in such close quarters.
'I'll be needed back on Earth,' Alex agreed, wondering if his nightmares would stop. Often the content of dreams could be explained by unresolved emotions. His feelings revolving around the pain and suffering inflicted on him and his people by the Gamalons remained raw and unexpressed. But to see his brother again, to feel the Earth, green and vibrant beneath his feet would be a miracle. Yet leaving Iscandar and Starsha tore at his heart. 'We have an entire planet to rebuild. The Earth could use your help.'
'I cannot depart,' Starsha bowed her head, unwilling to let him see her devastation. Once again she'd be alone. 'I am tied to the planet by a web of unseen energy which will destroy both Gamalon and Iscandar if I leave. I will not be responsible for the death of another race to save myself.'
Nodding his understanding, they eat a depressed meal in silence. Once finished, Alex tried to remain wake and at Starsha's side. No one visited her. Asking why, he became saddened by the tale of complete and utter loneliness she suffered.
'This is the first time you have talked and I have listened,' Alex commented, shaking his head. 'Even if leaving Iscandar leads to the death of both planets, you must come back to Earth. If you stay, eventually Gamalon and Iscandar will destruct and your death is ensured.'
'They'll be here soon, you're fellow earthmen and women' Starsha offered, her hands over her ears in the attempt to ignore Alex's plea and the only hope of her own salvation. No matter what she felt she had to stay on Iscandar until the bitter end. Hands slipping to her chest, she finally admitted to the emotions encircling her heart. 'You must regain enough strength to make the long journey home. I can live in peace, knowing you exist somewhere in the universe. Iscandar's bond will be with you always.'
Escorting him back to his healing couch, Starsha once again offered him a drink from the pitcher of life. He took it with steady hands, allowing his fingers to touch hers. Looking deeply into her eyes, Alex realised his mistake too late. The next time he woke, he'd be completely well and the Star Force would be here to take him home.
'Starsha,' he tried to communicate his distress as he felt consciousness slipping from his grasp, 'why?'
'This is as it should be,' she whispered, taking the laced tumbler from his determined grasp. 'When you wake, you're people will be on Iscandar, ready and willing to take you home. I will never forget you Alex Wildstar, but living here, alone is my fate, not yours.'