by Maia Starr
But the beauty of the voice behind me didn’t take away my fear. I was too frozen to turn around and face it. But whatever he was, he didn’t seem to mind. He continued speaking, and I could feel him coming closer.
“I hope this doesn’t hurt,” he said, close to my ear. His breath sent a seductive shiver throughout my body, but I tried to fight it. Nothing about this situation was sexy.
I cried out when I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck. I could feel every inch of a long, needle-like puncture disappearing deep inside of me. I tried to run or to scream, but before I could make a sound, I collapsed to the ground as a pool of black drowned my vision.
“Let me out of here!” a woman shrieked.
The words shook me to the core, and I frowned, trying to sit up to look at whoever was yelling. I barely made it up half an inch before my head fell heavily back on a metallic surface and filled with pain. I was paralyzed.
“What’s going on?” another woman’s voice said. She was slurring, as if she were drunk. But I realized that if I opened my mouth and tried to speak, it would come out sounding a lot worse than what she was managing.
“Everybody, please remain calm,” another musical voice, different from the one I heard on the rooftop, filled the room from a loud-speaker. He spoke in the same careful way, and despite his perfect English, I knew it was a foreign tongue to him. I tried to open my eyes and look around, but there were no lights. We were in a pitch black room, darker than the darkness behind my eyelids. I had to steady my breathing as panic began to well in my chest. I had never felt so claustrophobic in my life.
“Who are you?” the same hysterical woman who had first spoken shouted. “Let me out of here!”
“I assure you that you are all safe. You will not be damaged. We are the Thressl’n. From the planet Jenal’k. We will do everything in our power to protect you.”
“Let us go!” the hysterical woman sobbed.
But from the sound of the feedback, it was clear that the matter was settled. We would not be leaving the dark abyss of our cell. Nor would we be seeing much of anything.
Through my panic, my scientific mind began to turn. My intrigue was almost enough to combat the chill of fear in my breast. Who were the Thressl’n? The Vellreq had never mentioned them before. They had only spoken of a handful of inhabited planets nearby, one of them being Planet 139: the one I was assigned to. I was stricken by a sickening thought. Did the disappearance of their ship have anything to do with our abduction?
The Vellreq refused to tell the humans proper names for anybody in the galaxy, not even themselves, delighting in the strange conglomeration of syllables that we came up with to name things from distant lands. I had always found their manner of interacting and commenting on humans very insulting, but I couldn’t blame them for withholding information. With knowledge came power. Without it, we were nearly as clueless as before. With their knowledge came leverage in our societies and governments as well. And it wasn’t as if humans treated each other much better than the Vellreq treated us. I couldn’t blame them for acting the way that they did.
I was pulled out of my thoughts by another announcement from our Thressl’n captors.
“This is Commander Zerk’k Arkti,” the voice said.
My heart pounded hard in my chest. It was the same voice I had heard from behind me. It surprised me to hear it so much that I gasped out loud. Apparently, my paralysis was wearing off little by little.
“I’m sure you are all very unnerved right now,” Commander Zerk’k Arkti said. I found myself wondering if Zerk’k was a surname or a first name, or if his whole name was Zerk’kArkti. “But I give you my word. We will travel safely, and no harm will come to you once we reach our destination.”
There was something so tranquil and soothing about his voice. It had a masculine rumble, a dangerous edge to it, but somehow it made me feel safe. Maybe safer than I had ever felt in my life. Though that could be attributed to the fact that, to my knowledge, I had never been in life-threatening danger before. Until now.
“Please respect each other and our staff throughout the duration of our journey. Those who cooperate will be rewarded upon reaching the Planet Jenal’k. That is all.”
With a click and a brief moment of feedback, the beautiful voice left the dark room. And although I had the impression of other women around me…at least ten…maybe as many as a hundred…I had never felt more alone than when Commander Zerk’k Arkti’s voice left me in the dark.
Chapter 6
Commander Zerk’k Arkti
I released the button for the microphone and sighed. I couldn’t get the look of fear that had been etched on the human female’s perfect features out of my head. I felt guilty. Long after she was paralyzed, that look remained frozen in place by the strong Thressl’n compound in her blood stream. Once activated, it left most creatures weak or unable to move completely. It didn’t take much to paralyze the humans. They were much smaller and less dense than most beings we encountered. It probably had to do with their high water content.
Thressl’n people had learned a more efficient way of functioning, and our cycles tended to be more focused on the energy we could utilize from the sun. Our bodies are far more sustainable than those of the humans, and, in fact, most other beings in the galaxy. It’s an honor to be a member of the Thressl’n race.
“Is everything all right, sir?”
“Sorry?” I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at Jerd.
“With the females?” he asked reluctantly. He knew better than to second-guess my command.
“Oh, of course,” I said. “The others should be arriving back to Jenal’k about now. There are seven other ships with the same capacity to hold 100 females comfortably for the duration of travel back to the C’loggh galaxy. We’re bringing the last of them. The camps should be set up by the time we arrive. It was orchestrated this way. So if anything went wrong on the other missions, we’d be there to clean up their mess.”
“Of course, sir. I’m sure you’ve got a lot to do. I’ll retire now.”
Thank the gods. I had far too much on my mind to waste time on this trivial small talk. Still, I enjoyed Jerd’s company. It was just a bit overbearing for the mood I was in.
“Good night, Jerd.”
“Good night, Commander Arkti.”
I waited for a moment after Jerd left before gazing down at the control panel. For some reason, I was tempted to speak again to the female captives. Anything to get me closer to the enigmatic human I had met on the rooftop. I just couldn’t seem to get my mind back on track.
It was unusual for me to get distracted so easily. I could list about twelve different things I should have been doing that moment to ensure swift and safe travel back to the C’loggh galaxy, so why was it that all I could focus on was the face of the female I’d found on the roof of the shoddy human building? Maybe it was because she was the first human I had ever seen. Or maybe it was nearing breeding time. It made sense that I’d want to claim a female and breed. It was possible that my enthusiasm was due to the fact that our entire race was at stake.
Whatever the reason, I was sure I would feel better once we returned to Jenal’k. Being out in space always made me feel a million miles away from my body. It was one of the most unsettling parts of my life. Sometimes, space travel was made me feel so disjointed that I almost wished I had been selected to patrol the neighborhoods. Being so far from home was difficult for me every time. But everything would go back to normal soon, and I could forget about the strange human female that, for better or for worse, continued to intrude my thoughts.
Chapter 7
Dr. Lain Brousseau
“Hello, Earth females,” the Thressl’n voice from the night before said cheerfully over the speaker. It wasn’t the masculine voice I’d craved for the rest of the night though. It was the first one.
“I hope you are having a pleasant morning.”
Whether it was morning or not, we wouldn’t have kn
own. The area where we were kept was darker than the deepest cave on Earth. But one thing was for sure – pleasant was not on my list of adjectives for this experience.
Throughout the night, a few women had panicked, shouting and rattling against the metallic tables we were chained to. A glow would light the room, and then a sweet purple fog would put us all back into the same paralyzed trance we’d been in when we arrived. Soon, we all learned it was better not to make a fuss. It was one thing to get kidnapped and then get knocked unconscious. It was quite another to be responsible for a collective coma shared with the other abducted women in the room.
“By now I’m sure that you have all had sufficient rest. We will be arriving at our destination soon. Please be prepared to encounter the unknown. Again, keep in mind that the females who keep calm will be rewarded. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your travels.”
“Enjoy?” the woman next to me whispered hoarsely. All of us were parched. In fact, I couldn’t remember ever feeling so thirsty before. The combination of the strange gas and the stale air in the room was enough to make my lips crack.
“Do you think they’ll hurt us?” another woman whispered.
“It’s hard to say,” someone else said.
“I knew we shouldn’t have let the Vellreq stay on Earth so long!” a loud, angry woman across the room said shrilly.
“This ship doesn’t even belong to the Vellreq!” someone else retorted, mirroring my exact thoughts.
“They were probably gathering intel to sell us out to the highest bidder!” the angry woman exclaimed.
I couldn’t see her, but I formed a picture of what she looked like in my head. She sounded like she was in her mid-forties, and probably had frown lines on her lips and scowl lines on her forehead. She seemed like the kind of woman who would jump on the bandwagon and start a riot over something very little. Maybe her hair was dark brown, or perhaps dirty-blonde and shoulder length. Her face wouldn’t be friendly, and maybe she’d be overweight. She would look like the kind of person who could chew you up and spit you out on a whim. But she was probably sweet as sugar to the people closest to her.
Of course, I had no way of knowing any of this. I was learning a lot about my own nature, as well as the nature of other humans and Thressl’n from being confined in the dark, with nowhere to go but my own mind. I was used to the isolation, but the darkness was something new entirely. We had trained for similar situations for Project Orion, but the darkness only lasted for about thirty minutes. Once you were in the deep black room for over 12 hours, strange things started happening in your head. I was surprised by my own biases when people spoke and I attempted to match their voice to a face. It was such a human instinct for me to have, but it was one that was off base and hardly founded in reality.
“The Vellreq did this to us, I’m sure of it!” the angry woman cried.
“Please lower your voices or face the consequences,” the cheerful voice said over the loudspeaker.
We all held a collective breath. If the gas was going to come again, I was going to miss my first time ever landing on another planet. I couldn’t think of anything more disappointing. As horrifying as the experience was, I would be able to publish an entire book series out of just the last few hours. The knowledge I’d bring back to Earth would be coveted for generations to come.
Fortunately, nobody else said anything, and we were all conscious as the spacecraft shook rapidly upon entering the atmosphere of what I could only presume was the planet Jenal’k. After about 12 minutes of furious shaking, the craft came to a complete stop, lowering with ease until it stopped moving entirely.
If I wasn’t so damn intrigued, I would have been a lot more scared about the situation I was in. As it was, I was terrified, but also, secretly, a little bit thrilled. My head was full of notes I was taking as the night wore on; little observations I made about the speech patterns of the Thressl’n, the names of the women I was with and what they had been doing when they were abducted, and the effects of the needle versus the gas that flooded our room when things got too out of hand and the Thressl’n decided that we needed to be subdued.
The craft was still for a moment when suddenly a voice rang through the speaker. It was the one I had been waiting for, and a surge of unanticipated desire electrified me as the masculine voice began to speak.
“Hello, Earth females. This is Commander Zerk’k Arkti speaking. As second in command of my empire, I’d like to officially welcome you to the planet Jenal’k.”
And with a click and the crackle of static, the voice was gone.
Chapter 8
Commander Zerk’k Arkti
I stood and straightened my uniform, taking a deep breath before heading to the holding cell where the females were being kept. I had waited all night to lay eyes on my human again.
Before I reached the entrance, however, Jerd ran in front of me, his face flushed. He doubled over panting before he was able to speak.
“Commander,” he breathed heavily. “Supreme Leader Aloitus forbids bringing the Earth females out with their clarity.”
“What? Why?” I frowned. I had been so looking forward to seeing the clear eyes of the human female again. It seemed they were the very heart of her, somehow.
“There were problems with the other human females…when moving them into the camps, I’m afraid. He won’t allow them to march of their own accord. We haven’t the resources for any more hysteria.”
“I understand. Thank you, Jerd.”
Jerd nodded and returned to his post. I leaned against the door and peered inside. Despite the darkness, I could see perfectly. Ten rows, ten women per row. But they were all so far away that I couldn’t distinguish them. Ten was a sacred number to the Thressl’n. I hoped it would bring us luck to have females numbering a thousand. Ten tens was supposed to be a good thing.
I groaned in frustration. I wouldn’t be able to see her. Not yet. But that was okay. I was home now. There were other things to attend to.
“Jain’la, please release the gas,” I said into my communications device.
“Understood, sir,” her voice returned to me. It was surprising how much smaller and much less powerful than the voice of Jerd was. I usually only spoke to him through the communications device. He issued my orders to the rest of the crew.
I stared into the chambers as the human females began to groan and protest. They knew the gas by now and were unhappy to be under its influence. I couldn’t blame them, and found myself wishing as vehemently as they were for their conscious entry to my planet.
Soon, the protests were muffled, and the women were limp against their platforms. All but one.
I was shocked and peered in through the window in disbelief. One woman was holding her breath, fighting and struggling against her restraints. It was the female from the rooftop.
Without thinking twice, I immediately opened the door to the chambers and ran to her aid. I removed the straps holding her in place and lifted her over my shoulder. The other females took no notice; the gas had worked on them immediately. But this woman displayed a strength I had never witnessed in a female before, and for some reason, I felt it paramount to honor that.
She struggled feebly against my body; the gas had weakened her significantly. And yet, her eyes remained open and alert; her small fists balled as they pounded against the broad side of my back. Luckily, none of my crew was present as I carried this woman down the long hallway toward my private chambers. I’m sure they would have had plenty to say about it.
“Wh…” she murmured.
I was surprised. I had never heard a human speak before, except on the satellite broadcasts that were intercepted by several different races throughout the galaxies. The Thressl’n had thought the primitive broadcasts were wildly amusing at first, until we began to see the war and destruction that the humans were propagating on their planet.
“Who…?”
She turned her dazzling eyes onto me and squinted, as if trying to make out wh
at it was she was seeing. The gas must have affected her somewhat, because she closed her eyes tightly and frowned.
“Put me down!”
There was no bite in the demand, and she was soon limp in my arms.
“I’m thirsty,” she whispered.
I was able to type in the code to my doorway with surprising deftness despite the bundle in my arms, and entered the room, unsure of what to expect. She was resentful despite her grogginess, and I wondered if maybe I should give her the formula that counteracts the gas. We used it on occasion to interrogate our enemies before executing them. I was pretty sure I had a supply of the elixir stashed away with my weapons.
I laid the limp female on my bed and studied her for a moment. She was trying to fight the strength of the gas in her lungs, and I felt a surprising surge of pity toward her. Pity wasn’t something my kind were prone to.
“You really don’t want to be asleep, do you?” I asked her, not bothering to hide the amusement in my voice. Despite her exhaustion, she was sitting upright. Her eyes were closed, but her eyebrows were furrowed in determination.
“I have to know…”
I was silent, waiting for her to finish the thought. Instead, she clammed up, and with a great effort, she opened her eyes. The look she fixed upon me was one of pure fascination. I imagined it was how I’d looked during my youth when I was being trained to climb the ranks and fulfill my duties as second in command.
“What’s your name?” I finally asked once it became clear that she wasn’t going to continue speaking.
“Doctor…”
The female’s eyes drooped closed again, and with that, her speech ended.
I sighed and crossed the room to rummage through my weapon’s chest until I found the elixir.
“Open your mouth, Doctor.”
