“What do you mean slaves? Slavery was abolished a very long time ago and is illegal all over the world.” Who was this guy to joke about something like that? Slavery wasn’t a joking matter. But something in the back of my head was starting to warn me. What I had seen and heard was beginning to sound like it could be real.
“Human slaves are very real on my planet. I make one trip a year here to pick up a ship full of them to bring back. However, some are lucky enough to become mates to my species, if they so choose.” He stopped talking and started checking out my body, and his eyes spent too much time on my chest for my liking.
“Hey, alien boy, up here.” I pointed to my face, “My eyes are up here in case you were wondering. You know, since you’re an alien you might not understand human anatomy.” Hmph men are all the same no matter where they come from.
“Oh, I understand human anatomy just fine. My mother is human. That is why I look so similar to you.” He stood up and turned around, so I could admire his fine assets, which only made my body hum and feel all tingly inside.
“Then what is your father?” He was taking this story pretty far, but sadly I was starting to believe him. This belief caused my heart to speed up and my head to feel foggy. I hoped I wasn’t going to pass out.
We were interrupted by a communication in some foreign language that was quite guttural. I had no clue what they were speaking, maybe Klingon? He stood up and turned toward me.
“Paris, you might want to watch this.” He put his hand out for me to take. I hesitated, wondering what he was up to. “You are safe with me; I promise you will not be harmed.” He put his hand out again, and I took it. Venay pulled me up, and we walked to the one window in the room. He still held my hand. With his body so close to mine, I wanted him to do more than just hold my hand. My stupid body was aching to have him hold me in his embrace again. What is wrong with me? This guy is crazy, and I want him to hold me?
He kept a hold of my hand and motioned for me to look out the multi-paned window. “Wow, are we really moving? It doesn’t feel like it.” The stars outside were slowly moving and that planet looked as though we were approaching it. It didn’t feel like we were moving, more like a 3D ride where we were stationary and everything around us was moving. Then I felt it, gravity began to shift, as did my reality. I felt heavier for a moment and almost fell over, but Venay let go of my hand and stood behind me with his arms wrapped around me, just like I wanted a few moments earlier.
This feeling was strange, my head was spinning, and my eyesight was a bit blurred. I think the cause was two-fold; blurry eyesight was from the movement in space, and the head spinning was from him being so near me. “What is this, one of those 4D rides at an amusement park? I know we are not in space. It’s impossible.”
An intoxicating scent enveloped my senses and my legs began to shake. The man holding me had a spicy scent mixed with an all male smell that had my olfactory nerve working overtime.
“Paris, it is very possible. Technically, I am part of a superior species that has had the ability to travel through space for well over 200 Earth years.” He whispered in my ear, which just served to send a shiver down my spine. It was either excitement or fear, or maybe both. The idea that his species had been abducting people from my planet for two centuries was very frightening, but at the same time I couldn’t quite believe it.
Chapter 2
“Oh stink, this is real isn’t it?” I started to slink down on the floor as my body began to register the movement in space and my eyes confirmed what I was feeling. All my senses were on overdrive, I could even taste the oxygen that had been pumped into the room. It almost felt like I was drowning.
Venay reached down and picked me up. He held me to his side while walking me back to the couch. “Are you ok? Is the oxygen mixture too high for you?” He was looking me over and paying close attention to my chest, but in this case I believed he was watching me take shallow breaths.
“Why can I taste the air? I shouldn’t be able to do that.” I looked at him with a raised eyebrow while breathing in deep.
“We have an increased level of oxygen when we first leave orbit around your planet. Over the years we have discovered that humans tend to pass out easily unless we do this. Your bodies have a difficult time processing oxygen while in shock as we leave your solar system. But once we get moving your bodies adjust. They really are quite adaptable to most environments. Another reason our ancestors chose your people to integrate with us.” He puffed up his chest and sat up straighter. It looked like he took great pride in the fact that his ancestors abducted and experimented on humans.
His reaction only served to make me angry. I certainly wasn’t impressed with his knowledge of our anatomy and physiology. “How could you take pride in the fact that your species has been kidnapping my people for two centuries? What do you do with my people? Do you force yourselves on the women? Force the men to be your slaves and do your hard labor?” I fisted my hands at my side and debated if I should hit him or try to run again. Although, I knew running wasn’t an option at this point. It was at this point that I truly believed he was an alien and I was in space. Not sure how this all happened, but there it was.
He didn’t answer me at first, he looked back towards the window and watched space as we hurtled through it. I had to admit, it was quite beautiful and oddly enough, calming. I felt myself relaxing and let go of my fisted hands and my shoulders started to loosen up as well.
“Paris, I will admit, our ancestors were not the most civilized. But we are very different now. We never force a woman to mate with us. If we take a human mate, she is very willing…” He looked at me and his eyes dilated while he gave me a smoldering smile.
“Hey now, don’t go getting any ideas about me. I am NOT to be used as a breeding mare. No one who abducts me will be using me as a slave either. Stockholm Syndrome won’t be my downfall.” I got up and walked over to the window and sighed as I watched the stars zoom past. I put my arm on the side of the windowpane and leaned into it and whispered, “I will find my way home again.”
“I chose you because you are my mate. I could feel it across the field when our eyes met. You felt it too, I know you did. The connection was visible on your face and when I touched you a moment ago as well.”
“What exactly do you mean by mate?” I turned around and narrowed my eyes at the big alien.
“You would call it marriage. When we mate, it is with our one true love. The universe has created someone for all of us to love and join with. When we meet that one, we feel an instant sense of right, of belonging to each other. It is how my species have chosen their true mates since the beginning of time. There are exceptions, there are always those who can’t wait and will sometimes mate with someone they were never meant to mate with and that always causes problems.” He shook his head.
“You might as well lock me up with the other slaves, because no one is going to mate with me.” I locked eyes with him and stared at him until he spoke again.
“If that is what you wish, but I must warn you. Without my protection, any of the males on this ship have the right to try and persuade you to become their mate.” I tried to interrupt but he held up his hands, “They will not force themselves upon you or any other female, but they will try to get your attention in other ways… Most of the males who volunteer for this mission are looking for their mates. About half of the women will become mated to the men on this ship before we even reach our home planet.” He stood up and walked to the door but stopped before opening it.
“Are you certain you would not reconsider and become my mate? I hold a very high rank and your life would be quite comfortable. You would be well taken care of and would want for nothing in life.” He looked me over slowly as I thought on his words.
“I’m positive. There is no way on God’s green Earth I would choose to give myself to anyone who kidnapped me. I want to go home and forget about this entire experience.” I huffed out and put my arms around myself in a
n effort to comfort me. It didn’t help.
“Paris, this is the last time I will offer you my protection. You are intended to be my mate, I feel it. Life as a slave is not one you will enjoy. While we do treat our slaves better than we used to, it is still a very difficult life. One you will experience on this voyage home if you turn me down.” He reached over and took a strand of my hair into his hands and slowly drew it between his thumb and forefinger.
I pulled my hair back and tried very hard to stop the shivers from going down my spine. That was too intimate of a gesture to accept from my abductor. “I’m positive. It would be preferable to rot away as a slave than to be used up as someone’s mate.”
He sighed and lowered his head for a moment, then stood up tall. Man was he tall, and imposing when he put his warrior mask back on. “Very well, but don’t come to me when you find that you don’t have enough food or warmth on this trip.” He proceeded to open the door and he grabbed my arm rather forcefully and hauled me over to one of the cages in the other room.
“Open cage A-1, process this slave but make sure she gets extra in her evening meal.” He took one last look at me and then walked away as another alien took me by the arm. I heard Venay say something about putting his uniform on and then he would be on the bridge.
Chapter 3
As I watched Venay walk away from me, it saddened me that he didn’t even look back at me once before he left the room. My heart was hurting, but I couldn’t understand why, unless Stockholm Syndrome was already taking effect. I turned around and for the first time noticed how many men and women were in this room.
I let out a low whistle as I counted them. There must have been over 100 people crammed into cages that should have held half as many. Then I made the mistake of looking up into the face of my current captor. He was looking at me with a sneer on his face, “I don’t know what the Commander saw in you, you are a scrawny thing who would not be able to give birth to a strong warrior of our race.”
He opened up the closest cell and threw me in. “If you are going to make it on our planet, you will need to fatten up and build some muscles. No warrior in his right mind would choose you to mate with. You could only be good for domestic duties. I doubt we will get many offers for you as a slave either.” As he walked away he said, “What a waste of space.”
I didn’t care what he said, and the fact that not many would want me was even better. There was a chance I might make it back home after all. All I had to do was survive the trip and find a way back onto a ship going to Earth to abduct more humans, and I could get home and warn my planet about these aliens. That was what was most important. Not looking at those smoldering violet eyes again. Nope, not going to think about them, or the man those eyes belong to.
That warrior wasn’t too far off when it came to how I looked. I had been living on the street since, well since that fateful night five years ago. I didn’t talk about it much, but since I became homeless, my body had gone through a lot of changes. What muscle I did have was gone, along with at least thirty pounds, but I couldn’t be certain. The last time I was in front of a mirror, I could see my rib cage poking through my skin. My eyes had permanent bags under them from lack of nutrition as well as sleep, and my nails… well, let’s just say that my old manicurist would pitch a fit if she saw me now. But I didn’t dwell on what was once my life.
Now I was a 22 year-old, young adult who found a way to live on the streets, safely. Not an easy feat, considering how many women didn’t make it. I had always been able to take care of myself, and these past five years showed it. It wasn’t as though men left me alone, at least not at first. They did try things, but I always fought them off, and they usually ended up more hurt than I did. In high school we were offered self-defense courses in PE, and my parents insisted I take them every year. I am truly thankful that they never gave in to my complaints.
The first year, I would come home from school sore and extremely tired every day. These classes were only offered during the last period of the day. Until I was able to get a driver’s license and car, I had to endure the bus ride home while I was stinky and sweaty. At the time, I had no idea how beneficial those classes were going to be to my future survival.
Now on this ship, I had to make sure I could eat better and gain some muscle mass to ensure I could return to Earth. I still didn’t know how I was going to do that, but first things first, I needed to gain weight.
My cell contained ten women. They were all in various shapes and sizes as well as skin color. Interesting, these aliens didn’t seem to discriminate. Most were quite pretty, but a few looked like they were not picked to be mates, but more for manual labor. The woman closest to me had to be at least six feet tall and over 200 pounds of pure muscle. Her dark brown hair was long but pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing yoga pants, a t-shirt, and a matching zip up hoodie. “Hi, my name is Paris.” I reached out to shake her hand.
She took mine in a firm grip that bordered on painful, “Hi there, I’m Sheila. Why did that alien have you in the other room? He didn’t hurt you did he?” She raised her eyebrows while looking me over to see if I had any cuts or abrasions.
“No, thankfully.” I shivered again thinking about how he did touch me. “He offered me a chance to be his mate, but I turned him down. I want nothing more than to get back home.”
I looked over to the other women in our cell. “Do you have any idea what’s going on here?” We were packed in pretty tightly. There was enough room for us all to sit down but not enough for us to lie down. When it came time for sleep, we were going to have a difficult time.
“I was going to ask you if you knew anything. All I can tell is that we have been taken by a group of aliens who look a lot like us. But that’s all I know. There are more women than men, maybe 75% women? But I don’t know if there is another room full or not.” She gestured to the girl next to her. “This is Betsy, and she’s barely 18. What do they want with kids? She hasn’t even finished high school yet! And here she is, abducted by aliens.” She shook her head.
I reached out to shake Betsy’s hand, and she timidly shook mine back in return. “Hi Betsy, don’t worry, I don’t think they’re going to hurt us. But you should be prepared to be sold as a slave.” I didn’t want to tell her that most of the women here would be approached to become mates to these slave drivers. She seemed so young, I hoped they let her grow up a bit more. Even though she was of legal age, it was hard to imagine her with one of these aliens. I shuddered just thinking about that scenario.
Betsy started to cry and put her hands up over her eyes.
“What did you go and do that for?” Sheila glared at me, put her arm around Betsy, and tried to console her.
I stood up and looked at each and every girl or woman in my cell, “Listen up, I spoke with the Commander, the man who runs this ship. His crew have abducted us all and are taking us to their planet. We will most likely be sold as slaves.” At that point the women in other cells started listening to me as well, and I could hear them murmur and some start to cry.
“I know this sucks. Trust me I am right there with you. But we have to be strong. We can’t let them scare us or intimidate us. The Commander did say that none of his warriors would harm us. Well, if you can call kidnapping and selling us on the slave market not harming us.” I gave a quick grunt and looked down at my feet while running my hand through my hair.
“There is another option here, if you are strong enough to try.” I put a steely look on my face and gazed into all of their eyes as they watched me closely. “We could try to break out, take this ship from them, and turn it around. We would need to keep a few of them alive so we can force them to fly the thing, but I bet there are more of us than there are of them. What do you say? Are you with me?”
One of the warriors watching me from the other side of the room came over. I truly believed he couldn’t hear me since I was just trying to speak to those in my cell and maybe the ladies in the cell next to mine. “Human, yo
u won’t be able to overpower us. But you were right, we won’t harm you as long as you cooperate.” Then he slowly looked over a couple of the woman and his gaze landed on one of the young women in the cage next to mine, “Or you could agree to be our mates. You have two options here, and her option,” he pointed to me, “Isn’t one of them”. He licked his lips as he watched the young woman in the cage next to me squirm. “Hey, what’s your name?”
The object of his attention fidgeted and looked at me and then over to him. He wasn’t a bad looking guy, but they did just kidnap us all and were taking us to be slaves on another planet, so I could understand her hesitancy. She responded via a barely understandable whisper, “Natalie, but I have a fiancé back home so I am not interested in your proposition.” She lowered her eyes down to the ground, and I could see tears coming from the side of her face.
The warrior laughed and walked back to his post, but he looked back over his shoulder and said, “We shall see about that.” Then stood at his post and kept eyeing us all, but most of his attention was kept on Natalie.
“Hey, Natalie,” Sheila whispered. “You might want to think about taking up his offer. If you mate with the dude he will keep you from being a slave. Who knows what those slave owners might do to us. Besides, he’s not bad looking.” She kept eyeing the warrior like he was her next meal. Sheila was one brave woman, or else just plain crazy.
She was taking this better than anyone so far. Most of the women I could see were either crying, or looking off into space. Not literally, of course. There were no portholes or windows in this room.
“How are you taking this so calmly? Have you been here a while and had time to process it all already?” She seemed like she was ok with all of this. How could anyone be ok with any of it?
“Because, I have always had a fascination with aliens. I go to the conventions, even the big one in Roswell. For me, this is like winning the lottery and realizing the money comes with a nice selection of cabana boys too.” She suggestively raised her eyebrows and smiled while rubbing her hands together.
Worlds Away Page 2
