by Gillian Zane
“It’s where I belong,” she whispered. “I’m a human, I belong on Earth.”
“The universe has matched our charges. It is telling you that you belong with me.” Roc lowered his tone to match hers.
“What if the universe is wrong?” Bobbie looked up to meet his gaze.
“I have never known the universe to be wrong.”
15
Bobbie Sees the Universe
Bobbie felt a tear slide down her cheek. Roc’s big hand came up and wiped it away. He was being so earnest and concerned over her well-being. She felt herself softening in her resolve. He had asked all the right questions to sway her in her decision. Her brain was churning with emotions and regret over a life that had never quite clicked into place. He was right. There was nothing for her on Earth. She had nothing. Friends who were little more than acquaintances, a job she hated, an apartment that was a barely functioning residence, and no living family.
Roc sat next to her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. The room listed and she shifted, falling deeper into his embrace.
“I can’t wrap my head around the fact that we are in space,” Bobbie said, bracing herself on the mattress so she wouldn’t fall into his lap.
“Did you not dream of traveling the stars as a child? There were many pieces of literature about this on your planet.”
“I’ve always been fascinated with the stars, and cosmic stuff, but I figured the closest I would get to mastering the galaxies would be wearing Hot Topic galaxy pants,” she said with a little too much honesty. She had wanted to be an astronaut when she was a child, but with each choice she made in life, that career became impossible, until finally at too young of an age to be jaded, she realized she wasn’t meant for anything great, just normal.
“Even my race has not mastered the outer galaxies. A hundred thousand light years is still too much, even with our technological advances.” He kissed the side of her head.
“So, you guys can’t go to the edge of the galaxy?” she asked.
“We have been able to map our edge of the galaxy, about a thousand of what your race calls light years away. But the ones that have ventured that far have not fared well if they kept a part of themselves on our planet. We try to stay within a ten light year radius when we keep a part of our whole on our planet.”
“The light years and parts of wholes, that’s where I’m getting all confused,” Bobbie chuckled.
“There are many things on our planet that might be quite different, but we have only been space-faring for about five-hundred years. Some of the peoples that left with all their splits to explore the galaxies have not returned, but our hope is great that they survive, since we do get signals relayed back on occasion. These explorers have helped us become a powerful presence in this galaxy. They are also how we discovered the wormholes that connect us to other solar systems.”
“Wormholes?” she asked.
“Yes, a wormhole is a change in the matter of the universe. The matter rips the area to pieces and what would take years to travel happens in only a moment if entered.”
“Are you talking about black holes?” she asked.
“Possibly. I am not that learned in your race’s concepts of space science, so I cannot tell you exactly if this is correct. But at the edge of every solar system lies a wormhole. My people believe this is a gift from the Creators, a way our makers have made their existence known. A passage to bridge the gap between the stars, as if to say this is what we are supposed to do. Your world is our world’s direct wormhole link. We have known about your planet since the beginning, almost five hundred years,” he explained.
“Your people have known about us, but why have you not made contact?”
“When we discovered wormholes and then subsequently discovered humans, the subject of contact was greatly debated among our people. At the time of your discovery, your people were underdeveloped, and not much more than savages living in buildings made of sticks and stones. Warring against each other in brutal combat, with nothing more than fire and pointy metal objects. If we would have made contact, things would have quickly changed for your world. The rulers of the time voted to let your planet develop naturally and we would make contact once the possibility of wormhole travel was discovered by your people.”
“But, you were willing to abduct an Earthling and take her as your—" Bobbie faltered. What was she to him?
“Charge Mate,” Roc said with a possessive growl.
“I don’t like that word. When you say it, I think of wolves, or dogs. Animals mate,” she frowned.
“I am not an animal,” he frowned back at her.
“I don’t know, you are rather beastly.” She slapped at his arm as it tightened around her.
“I am considered brutish among my people; it is a fault,” he frowned. “Does it disturb you?”
“What? I don’t know. Well, at first you did throw me off a bit. You remember the part about the abduction?”
“And now?” he asked. Bobbie didn’t want to answer the question so she changed the subject, because honestly, she didn’t know how she felt. She knew she was supposed to think of him as a brute, a guy who ripped her off her planet and forced her to come with him, but she didn’t feel that way at all. In fact, she was beginning to soften toward him. She couldn’t stop thinking about the night before. About the way he made her feel. It was hard to admit to herself, but she wanted a repeat performance.
“Why do your people think you’re a brute?” It was a question meant to distract him, and her.
“It is nothing.” He shook his head as if he didn’t want to talk about it.
“Doesn’t seem like nothing.” Bobbie patted Roc’s leg, marveling at how muscled it was. The material of the suits they wore was thin and left nothing to the imagination. She had a hard time not looking at his crotch and the bulge that was plainly visible against the thin material. She needed him to keep talking, to keep her distracted.
“The people of my homeworld are smaller compared to humans. Most men slighter in stature to the women. You are about half a hand taller than the average female on Polaridis,” he said in reference.
“Wow, so all the guys on your planet are going to be shorter than me? That’ll be different. But what about you?”
“My mother was Polari, the master lands of Polaridis, the rumored beginning of our species. They still embrace a more natural way of living than the other realms. This tends to breed them bigger since they subsist on consumed foods instead of supplemental. When she took up residence in the palace she instituted regular meals to replace the supplements.”
“What do you mean?”
“They grow their food, trying to get most nutrients from natural means, instead of supplements, which the rest of the planet has taken to doing. They also raise lesser beings to be used for food, which isn’t looked on well by the other realms.”
“Lesser beings?”
“Creatures with no known intelligence,” Roc said.
“Oh okay, like our cows and pigs,” Bobbie said.
“Yes,” Roc agreed.
“So, they grow their own food, and raise farm animals? What do the other realms do for food?”
“It is synthesized. The basic nutritional need is digested through small capsules. You digested yours while you were sleeping.” Bobbie looked at him funny. How did that happen?
“Is that why I haven’t been hungry?”
Roc nodded and went on, “Your body has everything needed to function properly. You will take another capsule before bed tonight. I gave you one while sleeping because I knew you had not eaten for a long period of time.”
“That’s not much fun,” Bobbie frowned.
“No, it is not. We do have freeze dried edibles on board, and at the palace we maintain a garden with grains and vegetables. There is also fruit trees and shrubs. My mother implemented the garden when she bonded with my father. It has become a tradition of long standing within our realm. The palace has state
dinners, and we employ a chef, something that has set us apart from the other realms. The chef has perfected a synthesized meat replica, which has now become popular. In the last decade, a few restaurants have opened in the big cities, replicating our palace dinners. Because of the new trend in our palace, along with the marriage of my parents, the realm of Polari went from being the last influential state, to second only to Thames Virdan.”
“All because of your mother.” Bobbie patted Roc’s hand when she saw it clench. “Can I ask what happened?”
“It is unknown who did it. My parents were vacationing in Lividiania, that realm maintains some of the most beautiful natural water outlets, and the Emperor had invited them to his ocean palace. But their people are impoverished compared to the other realms. Lividiania only maintaining their higher influential level to the realm of Namei because of the silica that is extracted from their beaches. There was an uprising while my mother was shopping at the market. She had guards, but the riot happened so quickly. She was recognized, and taken. They held her for five days, and murdered her when their needs were not met in time.”
“That’s awful.” Bobbie slipped her hand into Roc’s, and she squeezed it gently. She watched in fascination as blue sparks spiraled around their fingers.
“It was a long time ago, and her death sparked an outrage that drew the realms together when there had been unrest. Murder is almost non-existent in all the realms now, and it has pushed my father to take a role in a move toward a global government.”
“I guess it’s good that something positive has been bred from something so negative.”
“Yes,” he nodded. “But let us not talk about that. I would like to show you my ship. I do not believe you got much of a look at it last night,” Roc chuckled, making Bobbie blush. He stood, pulling her up to her feet with him.
They wandered around the ship. He pointed out a small galley, the storage area, and even brought her down to the engine room. It was nothing like she expected. Everything was so slick, and all of it was made out of the glass-like material that Roc called silica.
He also brought her to the medical room and showed her different implements that she wasn’t quite sure about. What stood out was that she could plug her suit into a reader type gadget, a screen would pop up and display all her inner workings like an x-ray.
“That’s just ridiculous,” she laughed.
“The suit regulates body temperature, and monitors your vitals. If you have to expel any fluids and you cannot get to a restroom, it can be done within the suit, and the material is converted into a gas.”
“Kind of disturbing. I hope it doesn’t smell,” she frowned.
“There is a slight aroma.” Roc’s face was as stoic as ever and Bobbie rolled her eyes.
“The suit is flagging your iron count as low, so your supplement will have an extra dose within it,” Roc continued.
“Handy.” She peered at her insides on the screen. Of all the things she had seen in the last day, this one didn’t even faze her.
They continued on to the bridge and found Roc’s other self working diligently on something. He was bent over a panel and typing furiously.
“Calculations,” Roc standing next to her said.
“What kind of calculations?”
“Our entry angle to the wormhole. We have to hit it at a perfect trajectory to place us on the right path to Polaridis.”
“Wait, if you don’t go in at the right angle, you’ll end up somewhere else?” Bobbie asked horrified.
“Oh no.” Roc gripped her shoulder and squeezed to reassure her. “This will put us in a direct course to our planet, so we don’t get stuck in the gravity well of another planet, or the wormhole itself. This saves energy and time.”
“Oh gotcha,” she pretended like she understood.
The Roc sitting at the bridge sat up straighter and began running his hand over the dashboard in front of him. The wall directly in front of him went opaque and she was greeted with a blackness so deep she thought he had changed the color of the wall. But then she saw flashing lights begin popping up all over the screen, and the ship lurched, making Bobbie brace herself on the chair in front of her.
“We left your solar system, so we are decelerating and coming into view of the wormhole,” the Roc that was playing Captain said, sliding his hands along the dashboard in front of him. The ship’s lights went out around them, and the walls began to shimmer. Bobbie stood in awe as glowing dots of light stretched out before her, then contracted into a sea of stars. She felt a slight bit of vertigo overtake her, as if she had put on a pair of VR goggles. She gripped the seat with both hands and gaped at the sight before her. She could see in every direction, including underneath her, as if the entire ship had disappeared. She seemed to be floating in the middle of space. Her stomach roiled again and she gulped around the nausea that threatened to make itself known. Roc noticed her unease and pressed an icon in front of him. The floor appeared underneath her feet again, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“What is that?” Bobby pointed to a bright light to the left of them when her brain had settled down and she could understand what she was looking at.
“A small planetary object your race calls Pluto,” Roc said.
“Oh shit,” Bobbie breathed. She turned around and faced the display in front of Roc. It was an insane sight. There was a gaping hole in space, darker than everything around it, yet surrounded by a halo of light. Rocks and debris orbited around the dark black object, some falling in, other’s speeding up and getting shot in the opposite direction at incredible speeds.
“This is the wormhole. We call it Alpha because it was the first.” The Roc standing at her side put an arm around her waist and she snuggled into him without thinking about it. Bobbie watched as a streaking comet with a bright blue tail barreled past their ship, sailing in the opposite direction of the wormhole. She followed its path as it headed toward Pluto.
“This is amazing," she said, walking around the chair, and closer to the Roc who was still fiddling with things on the dashboard in front of him.
"Wait until you see my world," Roc said coming up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Is it as amazing as this?" she asked innocently.
"More," he breathed.
"Then I can't wait." She looked at her kidnapper, feeling the charge spark across her skin as he ran his fingers over her cheek.
"I'm glad you aren't resisting anymore," he smiled.
"I never said I wasn’t resisting anymore.” Bobbie tried to make a serious face.
“This does not look like you are resisting.” He ran a finger down her nose, letting it play lightly on her lips.
“I’m not easy, Roc,” she said when his finger slipped away.
"Female, I have strong feelings that nothing about you shall be easy." He leaned down and kissed the outrage off her face.
“Stop calling me female.” She pushed at his chest.
“But, I like it so, pr’ialla.” He smiled, the glee meeting his eyes.
“What does that mean? You’ve called me that a few times.”
“I am not quite ready to tell you,” he said, forcing her to slap at his chest to get him away.
“We are about to enter the wormhole, time to strap in,” The Roc who she had begun to think of as Two said from his position at the helm. Roc tapped an area on the floor with his foot and the floor folded in on itself, forming into a chair like some kind of weird origami contraption.
“Sit,” he said and Bobbie did as told. Roc leaned over her and positioned her thighs and made her sit up straighter. He then pressed a button and the chair formed around her in a thin, sheer material, like webbing.
Roc took his own seat and did the same, then Two took his spot at the helm, in front of them, still pressing buttons, and doing whatever it took to make this ship run.
“You might feel a bit of acceleration when we descend,” Roc said as the ship turned and pointed itself at the dark bl
otch in space. Bobbie could almost feel the tug of the wormhole on the ship. The spacecraft creaked slightly as the force of gravity pulled it into the wormhole.
“Entering now,” Two said and pressed a button. The view out of the windows blurred as the spacecraft shot forward, allowing the wormhole to pull it in. The screen went black, or wait, she was seeing something—tiny flecks floated around them, turning into lines and zags as they plummeted into the darkness.
A great force pulled at Bobbie’s feet. She felt her body lengthening, her hair flying out around her as gravity was lost. She became obscenely heavy, her hands shifting slightly underneath the webbing as gravity increased. Then they were being expelled, somersaulting through space and time, into a completely new solar system. Bobbie floated in her chair, marveling at a bright red sun with a beautiful white star next to it.
She was in another solar system. Bobbie Flemming, normal girl from the big city, was in another solar system, flown there by an alien prince who wanted to make lots of babies with her. If she wasn’t so fascinated with the sights before her, she might have pinched herself to see if it was real.
16
Stockholm syndrome
“How many planets are in your solar system?”
“Six.”
“And which planet is yours? I mean, you know, the number in line?” Bobbie asked as Roc walked her back to the living area. They had gone back into lightspeed travel, so the viewing was covered. Two was going to set their course, but Roc was free to answer all of Bobbie’s questions.
“Second.”
“That seems awfully close to two suns,” Bobbie mused.
“The planets of our solar system are spaced greatly apart. There is a lot more space between us than your planets, and we have a—I believe your people call them gaseous giants there is a large one in the fifth position which stabilizes the gravity between the planets.”
