Worlds Away

by J. L. Hendricks

  “Huh? No, I haven’t seen any recent movies. What does a Hollywood movie have to do with real-life aliens and their technology?” I shrugged my shoulders and leaned in close to her, “This means that I will understand everything any of the warriors say.” I raised my eyebrows while I waited for that to sink in.

  I could see the moment realization dawned on her face, she stood back a bit and her mouth formed an O shape, and her eyebrows went up almost to her hairline. When she squeaked, she covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, that is really smart!” Then she looked around as she realized how loud she said that.

  She whispered, “Sorry.”

  “It’s fine so don’t expect us tomorrow. However, I do think Cazon will be spending more time with you while I’m away.” I winked at her and sauntered off. She was going to have a nice day without me or Lisa getting in her way. That actually made it all the better. As much as I liked having Cazon around, I might want to ask Venay to assign someone else to my detail. Cazon needed more time with Sheila. She would jump at the chance to become his mate, but he needed to feel more comfortable with asking her. Only time spent together would do that.

  ֍

  The next morning, I was up early and ready to go before Venay even came out of his room. To be fair, he was up really late the night before. I had been asleep for what seemed like a few hours before he finally came back and went to sleep.

  He woke me up when he leaned over and kissed my forehead. “You know, you really could sleep in my bed, and I promise to keep my hands to myself.”

  I smiled up at him and kissed him back quickly on the lips.

  “Hmm, I think I’m fine on the couch. Believe me, this is the most comfortable and luxurious bed I could ever ask for.” I closed my eyes and started to fall back to sleep.

  I heard him murmur, “One of these days, you are going to tell me your story.”

  My response was a sleepy, “Mm hmm.” And the next thing I knew, it was morning, or what the ship simulated as morning.

  I had noticed that the lighting around the ship changed to match the time of day. I guess that made sense. We were in space and time was not measured by the sun and the moon out here. So the lighting throughout the ship simulated a V’Zenian day, or so I was told by Cazon.

  I was in the kitchen having my morning coffee and breakfast when Venay joined me.

  I looked over the rim of my coffee mug as he walked in, and he smiled at me and said, “Good morning, sorry I woke you up when I came in late last night.”

  “No worries, something tells me that I’m going to have to get used to that. Do you work a lot of late nights?” I took a sip of the hot coffee the replicator had in its database. The rich brew was very tasty. It wasn’t a peppermint mocha, but it still went down smoothly.

  “Yes, I actually do. That is something I will have to work out with my staff now that you are here.” He fixed himself coffee and breakfast and joined me at the table.

  “How long will I be at the clinic today? Or what do you call your medical place here on ship?”

  “We call it a med-bay. I think that is the closest English word for it. And I think you will be there for about six hours before you wake up, then a few more before I can take you home. I have a lot to do today, so while you are out I will be working on the bridge. But I have already instructed the doctor to call me when you wake up. I will come and visit you for as long as I can.” He put a comforting hand on mine.

  Thirty minutes later we were walking into their med-bay. I looked around and had to tell myself to close my mouth. It reminded me so much of a movie set. The colors were various hues of blue and silver, it was very comforting. The beds were a lot like what I had seen on some of my favorite sci-fi movies and TV shows growing up. I couldn’t imagine them being comfortable, but when I sat on one, it was actually nice. I think it was like those funky beds with the model that puts a glass of wine on the bed, and then jumps up and down and the glass doesn’t spill. Either way, I liked it.

  An alien male came into the room and smiled at me. He was a hybrid, and his veins were pulsing many different colors of the rainbow. It was very soothing. He walked over to me and stuck his hand out, “Well hello, my name is Dr. Pleebs, it is nice to meet our Commander’s mate.”

  I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you as well, and I’m Paris.”

  He smiled at me and bowed slightly to Venay. “Sir, she is in fine hands here. I will call you when she wakes up.”

  “Very well, but I would also like a call after the surgery, just to let me know everything went as planned.” Venay’s face hardened and I almost jumped.

  It was kinda scary to see how he went from a loving, sweet man to a hardened Commander so quickly. But it was a good reminder of who he really was. And I wondered if the face he showed me was his real one, or if the battle-hardened alien male was his real side. I made a mental note to keep remembering I wasn’t really his mate, I was his prisoner playing a game just to find a way home.

  Dr. Pleebs bowed his head, “Of course, sir. As soon as I am done I will message you.”

  Venay came over, kissed my cheek, and said goodbye before heading out of the room.

  The doctor explained the procedure to me and within a very short time I was falling asleep. One minute he was asking me to countdown from ten, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in their version of a recovery room. But their version was so much nicer. They didn’t have the drab egg shell colored walls that most hospitals on Earth did. Theirs was a very calm shade of green; it was like I was in the forest or something. One wall actually had a painting or wallpaper of some sort depicting a stream going through a bamboo garden. There was a slight sound, as I was waking up, I thought I might actually be next to a bubbling brook. Then as I fully came to I realized it was a soundtrack of some sort, like those alarm clocks in the fancy gadget stores in the mall. I was going to like this place.

  It was about another hour before Venay was able to come see me. His face was covered in worry lines, and he wasn’t really focused on me. He was a million miles away. Thankfully my translator had been tuned and was working before he came in because every time he spoke to me, it was in his language.

  This was the weird part … I heard his guttural words and at first didn’t understand, but after less than one second, it all made sense to me. If I didn’t focus on his voice then I could follow along without a problem, but whenever I tried to focus on his voice, I would hear a combination of English and Klingon. I know they called their language something else, but it would always be Klingon to me.

  “Venay, what’s wrong? I know we haven’t been together long, but I haven’t seen you this worried before, nor have you ever spoken to me in your native language. Thankfully the translator is working fine. But what’s going on?” I took a few deep breaths and started to worry that there was something bad happening. I wasn’t in any pain but something in my chest tightened and ached.

  He reached for my hand and held it in his big one. “That ship I told you about yesterday? It keeps flying close to our settlement and then away again. It is almost like it is trying to get my attention. I decided we must make sure that it doesn’t get too close to our planet. They have no right to be here, and the inhabitants on that planet are more of the civilian type than actual warriors. They do have some training and munitions to help defend themselves, but they wouldn’t do well against a ship with advanced weaponry. I have to assume they have the armaments our spies have seen, otherwise that captain is very stupid to try and goad me into a fight.”

  He let go of my hand and walked towards the door to my room and closed it. When he turned around, I could tell from the way his eyes were furrowed and the way he stood tall, erect, almost too tight, he was debating what to tell me.

  “What else is it? Is everyone ok?” I could hear the worry in my own voice and tried to calm myself down.

  “Yes, everyone is well. Lisa came out of her surgery just fine too. There are a dozen more women from your group who
have gone through the process today as well, including Sheila. Somehow she and Cazon decided that it would be good if she did it today as well. But, I have asked the doctor to hold off doing anymore implants until we have dealt with this issue. I need the med-bay and all of his staff ready in case we do end up in a firefight with the enemy ship.” He walked back toward me and sat on the edge of my bed.

  “Venay, is there anything I can do to help? I should be up and about in a couple of hours. How far away are we now?” I sat up in the bed and Venay put a couple of pillows behind my back.

  “We still have a few hours to go. By the time you are ready to go back to our quarters, we should be in reach of that planet. I have sent a message back to my admiral, and he has dispatched a couple of ships who are a few days away to come and join us. We will have back-up and that will help us to defend the planet. But I don’t want you to do anything except stay in our quarters and rest. The doctor told me it could take a couple of days for you to feel one hundred percent. That chip in your head might do something to your equilibrium. Every human is different. Most have zero side effects, but there have been a couple of humans who had issues in the past.” He relaxed a little bit, but then started pacing the small room.

  Something inside of me wanted to calm him. “Well, let’s just hope that none of us have any issues until we are all safe. I know you don’t fully trust me, but would it be ok if I had some sort of weapon to use in case we are boarded?”

  “If it comes to that, there will be a weapon provided to you, but until that time, I don’t want you near anything that could cause you to get hurt.” He eyed me curiously when he stopped his pacing.

  “Meaning you don’t trust me yet.” I sighed as I realized he was too smart for my own good.

  “No, it isn’t that I don’t trust you, it’s just I don’t want you to have to fight. You should never need to fight. That is my job, and when needed, my warriors’. We are here to protect you now.” He slid his hand through my hair and caressed the side of my face with his hand.

  This man had seen many years of hard work, his hands had multiple callouses on them. I think I even saw a scar from what looked like a long gash across his palm. Something told me he would protect me with everything he had and so would his warriors. I didn’t doubt that at all.

  “Ok, but as your mate, I would be making these trips with you right?” I leaned forward as I waited for his reply.

  “Yes, of course.” He bristled at the thought of leaving me behind on his planet.

  “Then don’t you think I should learn how to use a weapon in case we are ever in a fight with your enemy? What are they called?” I knew he couldn’t argue with this.

  “They are the Zateelians, and you may be right about the future. I will see to it that you are trained in hand to hand combat as well as with multiple weapons as soon as we get rid of the current situation.” His face softened and my heart fluttered.

  “Thank you. And just so you know, I’m pretty good at hand to hand combat. I took several years of self-defense classes. With living on the street at such a young age, I needed to use what I learned in those classes, a lot.” I sat up straight and wanted him to know that I was no wilting flower. I could do my part in protecting the humans.

  Part of me wondered if the other aliens would be worse than Venay and his group, or if they would be able to help us all get home, safely. However, the way Venay described their behavior had me a little bit worried about their intentions.

  Would a good group of aliens attack us? Attacking the ship we were on could kill us all, so they may not be interested in helping us. Or, they could just be stupid. I decided to reserve judgement on the aliens until I knew more about them.

  “For now, just focus on healing. Later we can discuss your training, okay?” He leaned down and kissed my forehead before standing up.

  “Okay, for now.” I narrowed my eyes. This discussion wasn’t over. However, he was right in that I needed to heal from the procedure before I could join in any fighting. In fact, the excitement was making my stomach a bit queasy. Of course, I wouldn’t tell Venay that, he’d probably make me stay in the med-bay even longer if he thought something was wrong with me. I swear, he’s worse than a mother hen.

  “I must get back to the bridge. Make sure someone calls me before you are ready to leave so that I can be the one to bring you back to our home.” He took my hand once more and squeezed it.

  I smiled. “I like that. It does feel like it could be my new home.” I shook my head as I thought about what the future might hold for us. It had been so long since I had a real place to call home. Cardboard tents are not a home, just a hovel to survive in. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. I had no one left on Earth. Well, except for Lola. Could I really do this, and enjoy this life with him? Or would playing up the mate role work enough to get me back to Earth? Did I still want to go back to Earth? Of course, I do.

  My heart was turning out to be a traitor. It wanted to stay with Venay, but my mind and common sense would prevail. I just had to be strong and erect a cage around the bothersome organ that Venay was trying to claim.

  I watched him walk out of the room, and then I worried about the other aliens until I fell asleep again.

  At some point, someone came and woke me up to tell me I was fine and could go back to my quarters. The nurse told me that Cazon would escort me back since the Commander was too busy to come and get me. That hurt, but I kinda understood. We might be going to war anytime now. He should be on the bridge. Although, there was a tiny part of my heart that wanted Venay all to myself for just a little while. I hadn’t felt real comfort from another soul in a very long time. It would have been nice if he could have been there for me.

  “Cazon, I heard that Sheila got her implant today too. When did you two discuss that?” I asked as we walked toward my quarters.

  “Last night, after you told her about yours. She asked me about it, so I suggested she get it done today as well. I think she is warming up to me and might say yes if I ask her to be my mate.” A shy smile appeared on his face.

  “Cazon, you are a ferocious warrior. Why are you so afraid to ask her to be your mate? I just don’t understand this.” I shook my head.

  He stopped me when we were about halfway to my place. “Paris, I can handle anything that comes my way. Except for a woman. I have never been good with females. They usually take one look at me and run. I know that purebloods look very different from the hybrids, and it seems that is what the humans like. I have never had a human flirt with me or give me extra attention.”

  “Then why did you want a human for a mate?” His story had me curious as to what made him change his mind.

  “Actually, I didn’t. At least not at first. But I do want children. I want lots and lots of kids. A human mate is my best chance at that. Besides, I think that Sheila is my true mate. What do you call it? Soul mate?” He squinted at me and scratched his black hair.

  Cazon was a good-looking warrior. He was tall, as were all of them. However, the purebloods looked to be even taller than the hybrids. While Venay was close to seven feet tall, I estimated Cazon to be over seven feet tall. His dark hair was wavy and long, for a male. In fact, most of the males tended to have longer hair. His was pulled back with a leather strap. His eyes were an interesting shade of blue that I hadn’t seen before.

  And as with all V’Zenian males I’ve seen so far, his veins pulsed different colors. Currently, his were pulsing blue. I was going to have to learn what the colors meant. Now that I took a closer look, his eyes matched the color of his veins, a deep blue similar to an Earth sky at dusk when the dark of night was coming quickly. I could see why Sheila thought he was good-looking, even if his skin tone was a purplish tint.

  “Yes, soul mates. That is so sweet. But trust me when I say you need to man up and take her already. When she is ready to leave the med-bay, ask her to go home with you. She’ll say yes. Just don’t try anything inappropriate with her until after your mating c
eremony.” I chuckled as I thought about him trying to ask her. Oh, to be a fly on that wall. He would probably stammer and have trouble looking at her.

  We started walking again and went the rest of the way in silence.

  “Paris, will you be okay on your own? I would like to be there for Sheila. She is awake now, but I imagine it would be better if I were with her.” Cazon turned his head toward the direction of the med-bay and I knew he was a goner.

  I thought about how Venay was on the bridge the whole time, except for a few minutes, and realized that Cazon was really sweet. Sheila was one lucky woman. “Yes, of course, I’ll be fine. Lisa loaned me a book, so I’ll read that.”

  Cazon turned to walk away, and I stopped him, “Hey, Venay told me he has watched some old Earth movies and TV shows, is there a way for me to do that?”

  “Of course, he hasn’t shown you the Earth TV yet?” He had a puzzled look on his face.

  “No, but we haven’t spent much time together where we could have watched TV. He has pretty much told me the basics about what I need here, and we have talked about the current situation… with the uh, Zateelians.” I whispered that word in case anyone was close by. He hadn’t actually walked into my quarters yet, we were still chatting at my door.

  To say he was shocked would have been an understatement. He gasped as his mouth fell open and then quickly ushered me into my quarters. “What did he tell you?”

  “That we were most likely going to engage in some sort of battle with them. We’re headed to a re-supply planet, and these enemies are basically playing chicken with us. So we might end up fighting. I’m surprised it didn’t start while I was in surgery. He did tell me that no more procedures were going to be performed after today. He wants to wait until after he has dealt with that ship.” I motioned for us to sit on the couch.

  My body was quite tired. Must have been the effects of whatever they used to knock me out for the procedure.