Prologue

My story begins many years ago when my father, Prince Nicos of Nalo, had a falling out with his twin brother, Prince Miro. Even in the womb they had been bitter enemies, each trying to get the most nourishment and fighting to be the first to be brought into the world by their mother, Queen Liona.

Miro, being the first born, was the heir to the throne. With this knowledge, he lorded his superiority over his two-minutes’ younger brother throughout the time they were growing up.

Nicos, although not the heir apparent, soon learned to ignore his older brother and dedicate his life to education as well as military service.

While away on a diplomatic mission to Earth to become Nalo’s Ambassador to Earth, he met my mother and fell in love.

Of course, I’m way ahead of my story, so I will let you read that which came before, so you can better understand my background.

Chapter One

Grato prepared to leave his home planet, Plantas. In a matter of days, Plantas would be destroyed and all of the old and infirm people who were staying behind would be no more.

Over the past few weeks, everyone had been planning for this journey. In the distant past, his people had gone to the planet Nalo to help the ancient people settle the land. In addition, they taught the same people to use written language, medicine and mathematics. Likewise, his best friend Ragnar’s family went to Seros. Therefore, these were the worlds to which they would return.

Grato and his family were going to be on the first ship to lift off from Plantas while the woman he loved, Tarena, would be in the last ship. He hated the thought of being separated from her for the duration of the journey, but they were going to be mated once they both landed safely. With that knowledge, he decided he could stand the separation.

A week earlier, his family left to go to the first launch site on the other side of the planet. He protested going with his parents because it meant being separated from Tarena for longer than necessary, but it was important for his father, as for his family, to be on the first ship.

He settled into his seat and prepared for lift-off. As their ship soared into the air, he was able to watch the other ships destined for Nalo do likewise. They flew in a perfect formation for several months.

As an engineering expert, he spent many hours every day on the bridge. During those long hours, he was often in contact with the other ships, including the one carrying Tarena and her family.

The first medical officer, Wasla, made a daily trip to the bridge to not only check on those who were flying the ship but also to contact her soon-to-be-mate, Paren, who was on the third ship in the formation.

“Have you been in contact with Tarena today, Grato?” Wasla asked, when she approached him.

“Yes. Everything on their ship is going well. With luck we should reach Nalo without any difficulty within the next month.”

“I’ll be happy to be on solid land again. Many of our people have developed Time Warp Fever. I pray they will all be well by the time we land.”

Grato agreed. He’d heard about the spread of Time Warp Fever and was even starting to feel some of the symptoms of it. He’d experienced a problem with vertigo and developed a nagging headache, but said nothing.

Wasla went about her daily routine, checking everyone on the bridge. By the time she got to Grato, she had a worried expression on her face.

“You don’t look so well, my friend. Let me take your temperature.”

As much as Grato protested, she soon used her wand thermometer to check his temperature. “I’m afraid I must send you to the sick bay. Your temperature is elevated and I can tell by looking at you, you are experiencing some of the symptoms of Time Warp Fever.”

“That’s nonsense. You know I’m one of the healthiest people on this ship. I have duties to perform. I don’t have time for something like this.”

“You do have time for it, son,” his father interrupted. “I’ve noticed several signs of the disease making their presence known in you. It’s best if you do as Wasla says. She’s our top medical officer.”

Reluctantly, Grato gave up his place at the helm of the ship and followed Wasla to the area designated as the sick bay. Even walking those few steps was difficult for him as his balance was now completely off. He was surprised at how much he had to depend on Wasla to support his weight as he made his way through the ship.

Passing through the other populated areas of the craft, he saw the worried expressions on the faces of his friends and family.

Is it possible I show more of the symptoms of this debilitating disease than I first thought?

Once at the sick bay, two nurses insisted on helping him out of his clothes and into a gown. He hated having to disrobe in front of these women, but knew it was necessary. When the fever broke, he was told, he would break out into a sweat and he certainly didn’t want to ruin his robes.

The IV had been successfully inserted into his body when the ship began to shudder. IV poles toppled over, people were thrown from their beds, and medical personnel hung onto whatever they could to avoid falling to the floor.

“What was that?”

The question resonated throughout the ship without an answer for many minutes. They remained in an eerie silence until at last the shaking stopped and people were able to return to their seats or beds.

After what seemed like endless hours, Grato’s father left the bridge and walked through the ship.

“We have been hit by a meteor shower. I was able to watch what was happening. I am afraid ours is the only ship to have survived. We will be able to make it to Nalo, but our communications with our sister ships as well as the missions to Seros and Earth have been completely destroyed. We will be traveling under diminished power so the remainder of the trip will take longer than anticipated. That being the case, we will also be rationing our food supplies.”

Grato didn’t know much about medicine but he did know patients suffering from Time Warp Fever needed added nourishment. He thought about his ability to heal. He was in the early stages of the disease and could probably survive until they reached Nalo, but what about the others in their party, who were in more advanced stages?

Once he finally evaluated their status, he thought of the other ships in their fleet. How could they all be lost? Was it even possible Tarena and Paren were dead, taken away from them in the blink of an eye?

Beside him Wasla grieved for the loss of her promised life mate. Shedding tears seemed too unmanly for him, but he couldn’t stop the flow of them at the thought of his loss. Tarena was to have been his mate. Now he knew how his friend Ragnar felt when he’d been told Nina was going to Earth while he would be sent to Seros.

Even with the short rations, they managed to reach Nalo only a few days later than they expected. It took several days and a lot of work for the communications officers to be able to communicate with the inhabitants of the planet. It was amazing how advanced these people were. They were able to send out a tractor beam to bring their craft safely to a predestined landing area. Once they safely landed, they were greeted by members of the medical and scientific contingency.

At Wasla’s insistence, the medical community of Nalo was told of the Time Warp Fever that affected many of their population.

Grato looked forward to being one of the first of their kind to contact the people with whom they would be living and working, but that was not to be. Instead of meeting with the leaders, medical personnel entered the ship and brought with them stretchers in order to transport those who had Time Warp Fever to waiting air ambulances for transportation to hospitals.

He began to protest but as soon as he left the ship, his father was at his side. “Go with them, son. We have informed them of what you are experiencing, and they are equipped to bring you back to good health.”

“Your father is right,” Wasla agreed. “I will be going with you and conferring with their healers. You will see, the future for us will be a bright one. Once you are past this illness…”

He knew she left the remainder of what she was saying unsaid. Our lives were going to be here on Nalo but the lives of our loved ones are gone forever. He would never be mated with Tarena just as Wasla and Paren would not be together again.

The next few days passed in a blur. At the hospital, he was able to see the broadcasts of the arrival of his people on Nalo. Thankfully, they had been accepted and had begun assimilating themselves into Nalo’s society.

It was days later before he was finally well enough to leave the hospital and reunite with the other survivors of his party. While in the hospital, Wasla hadn’t left his side. As much as they both grieved the loss of the ones they loved, he knew a relationship was beginning to form.