Worlds Away

by J. L. Hendricks

“Thank you, I would appreciate that. For starters, how about some better food? And is there anything you can do about their accommodations? Cells are not very comfortable.”

  Before he could answer me, he received a message from his second in command. The message come from what appeared to be some type of hand-held communication device, like a walkie-talkie. “Sir, the human males have started to riot in their cells. The women are all very upset. I am not sure what happened, but Alpha Room is in absolute chaos. Should I knock them all out?”

  “No, I will talk to them first. If that doesn’t work, then we can use the sleeping gas. Send extra guards there too.” Venay walked out of our cabin, and I followed him.

  He stopped and turned around, “You can’t go with me. They probably started the riot because of you. Please, go back into our cabin and wait for me.” He reached out to open the door, but I stopped him.

  “Venay, please. Let me speak with them. You and I were having a great conversation. Maybe if I tell them about what we discussed they will calm down and be better on the journey?” I gave him a tentative smile because I had no clue what he was going to do or say.

  “Fine, but if I tell you to leave, you must listen to me and not argue.”

  “Deal!” I clapped my hands and was excited to try and find a way to help my fellow humans.

  Chapter 8

  When we arrived at my old holding room, I knew it had to be those guys I was speaking to earlier. This was not the way to get what you wanted, at least not yet.

  I followed Venay into the room; there were now over a dozen guards or warriors in the room. Some had different uniforms on. What looked to me to be warriors were the aliens with short swords on their backs and knives attached to a belt around their waist. These guys had much harder expressions and were even bigger than the aliens who had been guarding the humans up to this point. A few were even bigger and taller than Venay!

  The regular guards had a police baton and what I thought was a Taser attached to their belts. But all of the guards had pulled out their batons for now. I just hoped they didn’t have to Taser anyone before this was all said and done.

  I stood to the left of the door and just watched what was happening with wide eyes. Venay probably wanted to address them before I said anything. And this was definitely more intense than I thought it would be.

  “Give us our freedom!” shouted one guy. “Send us home!” shouted others. “Let us go!” was being chanted by ten guys in another cell.

  Venay walked over to the center of the men’s area. “If you want to be treated better, you need to calm down and stop trying to cause a riot. You are here, and we are not going to take you back home. The sooner you accept your situation, the better for all of you!” He put one fisted-hand on his hip and the other he used to point at all of the men’s cages.

  One of the guys in the cell closest to him walked toward the bars and while holding them he said, “We don’t want to be slaves. You abducted us, and we have the right to demand we go home now. You can’t hold us against our will.”

  “You are quite wrong about that. I can do whatever I want with you. If you don’t calm down I will have to sedate you. I really don’t want to do that because it will cause the women to be sedated as well.” Venay looked over towards the women and pointed, “See them, they look to be very frightened. Do you want to scare them? Or protect them?”

  The same man said, “They have more chances of surviving this than we do. Why should I care about them? I heard what your guards were saying, most of them will choose to become whores to you alien scum! They are traitors! Traitors don’t deserve to be treated well, they deserve death!”

  A couple of the men nearby started chanting, “Death to traitors! Death to traitors!”

  Venay looked back at me, “And you wanted me to treat them better? They would rather your women die than live as our wives, our mates. This is who you want to see get better treatment? This is who you want to set free on my home world?”

  At that point, several of the men picked up what was left of their chalky jello mold and started to throw it at Venay and the other guards. Then a couple who were closer to the women threw some at them. The place was full of yelling and screaming. Some of the women cowered down in their cells and tried to get as far away from the men’s cells as they could.

  I walked towards Venay but was too close to one of the cells and a man grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to him. Just as I was about to kick at him, Venay jumped over and pulled the man into the bars and knocked him out cold. The guy released me as he fell down to the ground with a loud thud. Not one guy in his cell did anything to help him.

  Several of the men who were chanting stopped and looked between Venay and me. Two of them pointed at me and yelled, “Traitor!” While another one yelled, “Whore!”

  “Alright, that’s it. Guards exit the room and release the gas.” Venay looked at the men, “Just remember you brought this on yourselves. Paris was just now trying to negotiate better living conditions for you all while on this ship. You will not get anything extra from me anytime soon.”

  He walked over towards the women, “You might want to lay down now. You will be out cold the rest of the night, thanks to the men in this room.”

  Venay ushered me out of the room. I looked back at my new friends, eyes wide and wondered what would happen to them now.

  Once we were all outside in the hall, a guard radioed in for something. Again I think he was speaking Klingon or some such nonsense. Then I heard the screams in the other room. Everyone was screaming for help. It sounded like some bodies thudded to the ground as well.

  Down the hallway was an alcove that had a monitor which showed the holding cells. Venay showed me what was happening to the people in there. “Are you really just knocking them out? Or are they dead?”

  “I should kill those men for what they did, especially the one who grabbed you! No one touches my mate!” He gently rubbed his hand on my arm, which looked as if it was going to have a bruise on it tomorrow. It was sore, but nothing compared to what everyone else was going through. I couldn’t imagine how frightened they were. Did they believe it was just sleeping gas? Or did they think they were being murdered?

  “Venay, they are very upset and jealous at the moment. I think in time they will see that the women are just doing what they need in order to survive. And if what you have told me about the mating bond is true, then some of the women won’t even be able to fight off their attraction to your men or warriors, whatever. What do we call you anyway? Are you men? Warriors? What?”

  He actually laughed, after all of that tension I was surprised to hear him laugh. “You can call us men. We refer to ourselves as males or warriors, depending on our ranks. Human interaction over the years has influenced us enough to use the term men, as well.”

  “What happens to that gas?” I pointed to the cloudy atmosphere shown on the monitors marked ‘Alpha Room’.

  “Once we are sure they are all asleep, we will reverse the airflow and all of that sleeping gas will be expelled into space. Then fresh oxygen will be pumped in. They usually sleep for a good six to eight hours.”

  “Ok, what happens tomorrow?”

  “That depends on them. If they are calm, then they will continue to be fed. If they are still calm the next day, we will start the universal translator implantations. We will start with the females. The males usually accept it better after seeing the women go through it with no adverse side effects.” He put his arm around me and guided me toward our quarters.

  “Is it safe? Will the alien technology be accepted in our bodies?” I chewed my lower lip, worried about the idea of an alien doctor implanting something into my body. I knew the sci-fi shows were make-believe, but still, the idea of alien electronics inside of me frightened me. My mind was telling me that they were up to no good and the device might do something evil, like control me. I was not going to become a robot to alien masters.

  “They are the same devices that we
have implanted in us. There is also a communication node that some will have installed and some won’t. I would hope you would agree to have it installed so that you and I may communicate directly. It is also helpful should you ever get lost on our planet, as you can just call me and as long as there is an open line, I can get a general idea of where you are. The GPS isn’t exact in these things, and it would never give away your identity.”

  “Sooo, if you wanted to track me you could?” I bristled at the thought of having a lo-jack installed in my brain.

  “No,” Venay chuckled. “The line of communication between us must be opened. In order for me to get a general fix on you. If I went looking for you, I would not be able to find you. It works similar to your cellular phone technology. I can’t find you unless we are communicating. However, I can see if any of my warriors are in a certain area. We all have them installed in case of crashes. While we won’t know who is where, we can tell if there is a warrior in a general area, just not who it is.”

  “Um, ok. I’ll think about it. That might be helpful, if you promise me it isn’t a tracking device.” I believed him, but was still a bit leery of anything he had to say. If I was going to try and get away, I couldn’t very well do that if he could track my location at any time.

  Chapter 9

  Early the next morning, Venay came out to the living room and woke me up. “You know, you don’t have to sleep out here. I promise nothing will happen until you are ready. This couch isn’t very comfortable for sleeping.”

  Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I turned over on my back. “It’s much better than what I’ve had for the past five years. I don’t think I’ve slept that good since I moved to the streets.” I smiled and started to get up from the sofa, but Venay put his hand on my shoulder.

  “What do you mean? Have you not had a home to sleep in these past five years?” His brow furrowed and a storm appeared to be brewing behind his eyes.

  I could see the pity coming. It was always this way. Whenever someone found out I was homeless they would look at me with pity in their eyes, their eyebrows would pull down in concentration, and they would give me long hugs or rub my arm.

  I didn’t want anyone’s pity or sadness. These things happen. But I wasn’t going to rehash the events with him, not yet anyways, “Yes, I was homeless, but let’s save that story for another day. I really want to see how everyone is doing after last night. Can we go to the holding cells after breakfast?”

  “I think that can be arranged. I was heading there first thing myself, but the same rules apply, plus one. I don’t want you anywhere near the men for now.” He arched an eyebrow.

  I pursed my lips and sat up on the sofa. “But why? I need to try and gain their trust, and talking to them will help. I promise I won’t get too close to the cells again. How about that?”

  “No, I don’t want you anywhere near them, for now. Once I believe they will treat you with more respect, I will allow it. But until that day, I don’t want you anywhere near them. Do you understand? This is for your own protection, please don’t fight me on this.” He sighed and looked down at his hands.

  “I don’t think I could stand it if they hurt you. If something happened, my anger would get the better of me and they would not survive the trip home.” He looked up at me with sadness on his face, and he reached over to me and brushed the hair out of my eyes.

  I really needed to get a haircut. But that wasn’t something one spends money on when they were homeless and jobless. What money I did receive, went to food for Lola and myself. Once in a great while, I would treat myself to a Peppermint Mocha from my favorite coffee house, but I guess those days were over.

  “Ok, I can understand. But please know that I can take care of myself. I survived five years living on the streets and not once did I lose a fight. You’d be smart to realize I’m not soft. I may not look like much, but I’m pretty scrappy when I need to be.” I reached out and squeezed his hand as I stood up.

  After a wonderful breakfast of pancakes and bacon, we made our way to the holding cells.

  They had just received their morning meal, although I don’t think it could really be called a meal. Just thinking about how that chalky jello felt going down my throat was making me gag. It was like someone took a jello mold and covered it with a white, powdery residue that was thick and stuck as it made its way down my esophagus. I knew I made the right choice in agreeing to be Venay’s wife. If for nothing else, real food.

  He greeted the guards, which had tripled since last night. Then we walked over toward my old cell mates. “Sheila, Betsy, how are you two doing? What happened when you woke up?”

  They were sitting on the ground, leaning against the bars. Neither looked very good. Most of the women had a greenish tint to their skin and bags under their eyes. They were all sick.

  “Not good. Those stupid men are going to get us all killed. I swear, the first guard who wants me, can have me. I’m not going through this again.” Sheila didn’t move, but she did turn her eyes towards me for a second.

  I had put a couple of pieces of bacon in my pocket. Carefully, so Venay didn’t notice, I pulled them out and gave them to Sheila and Betsy. Then I whispered, “I’ll try to bring you more real food later.”

  Venay was looking at me closely, so I got up and moved over to the next cell. “Natalie, are you ok?” She looked sick, but much better than Sheila or Betsy.

  “I’m ok. I hope those idiot animals who call themselves men learn to calm down. I don’t think most of us could take another night like that.” She had this far off look on her face, like she couldn’t focus her eyes or something.

  “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I’ll see what I can do to help you guys.” I reached in and squeezed her hand and then walked over to Venay.

  “Commander, would it be alright if I addressed the men in here? I promise I won’t get close to them, I just want them to understand a few things.” Doing my best to keep a calm face, I waited patiently for his response.

  He scratched his chin, “Ok, but if it gets bad, then you are not coming back here for a few days. Understood? I can’t have them causing problems again so soon.”

  “Understood, and thank you.” I smiled at him and walked a bit closer to the men’s side.

  I raised my eyebrows and took a few tentative steps away from the men and closer to Venay. “Ok, well, gentlemen, I have been trying to broker a deal for you. One where you will be treated more humanely and at the very least get better food. In fact, you would have had a decent meal today if you hadn’t tried to start a riot and scare the pants off the girls over there.” I pointed to the women’s side of the room.

  “I doubt very much that the Commander will allow you anything other than that gross pasty stuff they call food, at least for a while. But if you will agree to act like men, and not animals, I will see what I can do for you.” I turned my back to the men and faced Venay.

  “Commander, since the women have been scared to death, and remained quiet, may they have comfort food for lunch today? I saw your replicators have macaroni and cheese. Would that be alright for them?” I looked pleadingly into his eyes.

  He huffed and looked over to the women, “Yes, I suppose that would be fine. But we need to add some protein to the meal. They are going to need it after last night.”

  “Thank you, I’m sure they’ll enjoy chicken with their meal too. May Lisa and I start making this up for everyone?” I needed all of the prisoners to see that I was subject to Venay, but that I was also trying to work for their betterment as well. It was the only way I could envision getting their trust. I wasn’t just going to roll over for the alien, I was going to use my position to help my own people.

  The men on the other hand, well, that would be a different fight. I should have known they wouldn’t have been good for much longer. None of them appeared to be fighters, however a couple did look like they could be leaders. I only hoped they didn’t lead the men into death.

  I just neede
d to get them to work with me.

  “Yes. Cazon, please escort Paris to find Lisa and start making the noon meal for the women. The men will continue to get what they have been getting so far.” He looked over at the men and then at the women.

  “How about the men in the other holding room, how have they acted?” Venay asked.

  “Sir, they have all been relatively calm. So far, they haven’t said much other than ask what is going on.” Cazon responded.

  “Okay, beta room can have what Paris suggested as well, including the men. But I want to know if they act up at all.” Venay turned and headed out of the room. When he passed me, he quickly grabbed my hand and lightly squeezed it before leaving.

  I followed Cazon out of the room without giving the men a second look.

  “Hey, does that normally happen on these journeys?” I asked once the door had closed.

  “This is only my second one, but from what I hear, it happens almost all of the time. There is always a troublemaker.” He eyed me up and down. “But you are different. I have seen women try to persuade the Commander to do a lot, but he has never given in. You must be his true mate for him to soften towards the slaves.”

  “Trust me, he isn’t soft.” I huffed and it was almost a snort, as I thought back to what I had to agree to in order to get this. Going forward, I was going to have to be very careful with what I said to Venay, or he could take away the regular food and put them all back on chalky jello. I shivered thinking about that.

  When I found Lisa, she was in her cabin reading. Apparently, they kept a nice collection of Earth books. Something to remember to check out later. “Lisa, can you help me prepare Mac ‘n’ cheese with chicken for the women? Even the men in the second room get it for dinner as well.” Then I whispered, “Did you hear about the men trying to start a riot?”

  “Yes, I did. How did it end? Did they get gassed?” Lisa put the book on the table next to her.