by Maia Starr
I had managed to get out through the window in a blind panic just as Zod stopped at the doorway of the bedroom and demanded that Laike open the door. The way he berated Laike, as if his brilliance were a thing to be shunned, had made my blood boil.
But it wasn’t enough to make me stick around to defend him. I had run as fast as my legs would carry me, not knowing what direction I was heading in or what I might encounter along the way. Although it was scary and my head was aching from the blow that Absle had dealt me, it was also exciting. I had never been free on an alien planet before. And dying a free woman was better than living my whole life cooped up as a prisoner.
All I had was what was in my pockets, and that wasn’t much. A dense roll, kind of like bread but with a texture I didn’t particularly like, that I hadn’t had the heart to throw away in front of Laike, a handful of the awe-inspiring devices that Laike had sitting around the room where I had been captive for at least two weeks (I had lost track of time at this point), and my cell phone, though it had long since been broken during my abduction by Zod.
They weren’t exactly the survival tools any self-respecting pioneer would enjoy using, but it was better than nothing. The roll could last me at least two days as I wandered this planet, though I was worried about a water source. How would I survive? Did it even rain on Jenal’k? There was no way to know or find out. I wouldn’t go back to Laike’s house. I just couldn’t. Not only was there danger there, but it seemed impossible that I should willingly return anywhere that I wasn’t completely free. No matter how handsome my captor happened to be.
Finally, the thin stream of light erupting from the hovercraft moved away from the area where I was hiding and sped off, as if the driver were frustrated beyond measure. I didn’t know if it was Laike or Zod, but I wouldn’t give myself up to either man. Not now. Especially not knowing what possibilities may lay before me. Who could know; perhaps the opportunity I needed was right around the corner!
When I finally felt secure enough to escape from the bush where I was hiding, I began to crawl out. My heart froze in fear, however, when something soft brushed my leg. I hesitated for a moment, and then tried to continue out from under the bush, but my leg was again touched by the mysterious soft thing.
I turned as slowly as I could, and shone the light toward my leg, and nearly screamed. Against my leg was a rust-colored being that looked like an over-sized spider, as large, maybe even larger, than a beach ball. However, despite its spider-like legs, its head was narrow, and I could see no eyes to speak of; its entire body was covered with shaggy red hair.
I didn’t know what to do. Would this creature attack me if I moved from under its touch? Would it sting, bite, or scratch? Would it be poisonous? I had no idea. And so I remained frozen.
The creature was still for a few moments, and then I felt the heaviness of its little body’s weight against my leg. It was climbing on top of me, coming closer to my head, and I had to do everything in my power not to scream. Remembering that Zod might be out there looking for me right at that moment was motivation enough to calm me down, but my heart raced with every soft step.
Finally, the little creature paused by the base of my neck, and two of its long, hairy legs touched my head. It began to knead my hair as if it were a cat, and a strange, deep purring noise began to vibrate its body.
The pain in my head was suddenly gone, and the little creature jumped off of me and landed in front of my face, as if expecting some kind of greeting. I had no clue what to do, and felt naïve for not considering sooner that an alien planet might also have alien animal life forms. Fortunately, the soft little creature didn’t seem offended by my ignorance. In fact, it pressed its narrow little head against my forehead before scurrying along on its way.
I watched in shock and amazement as it left, and slowly got myself out from under the bush, touching my head. The pain was completely gone now. There was so much more to the universe than I had ever imagined. Hopefully, I would live long enough to find out more about it.
***
I woke up sore with a crick in my neck. I guess that’s what I got for trying to fall asleep in the bough of a tree. I hadn’t done that in ages, since I’d escaped from the first foster home I’d lived in. Running away had always been an easy thing for me. But that was when I had a plan, and my own familiar planet to rely on. Now, it just felt like a prolonged death sentence that I was lucky to survive.
I climbed down from the tree and stretched. My stomach rumbled, and I took out the hard roll from the front pocket of my pants and broke it in half. I nibbled it as I walked, still put off by the strange texture of the bread. But it was enough to give me the energy I needed to continue on my way, and that was what really mattered.
The morning light made it much easier to navigate the lush greenery of Mount Zennith, and I found myself feeling suddenly very optimistic. My head felt so much better after the strange little creature from the night before had worked its magic on me, and the truth was that this planet was absolutely beautiful. I had never seen anything quite like it before. The beauty was so intense it almost seemed surreal.
It was an enjoyable trek during the day, and I saw so many new plants and even a few new animals. All of them caused fear to curdle in my breast, but for the most part, they were far enough away that I was in no real danger. Still, it was anxiety-inducing not to know any of the animals that were looking you in the eye. Fortunately, none of them seemed interested in harming me and went about their business.
By the second day, however, the pleasantries of exploring a new world had been lost. My stomach rumbled furiously, and I had no idea what might be edible in the natural Thressl’n world. I didn’t recognize any of the foods that Laike had fed me. The worst part was my thirst. I had never been thirsty so frequently or so badly as I had since I had been abducted by the Thressl’n. My body was agonizing for food and drink, and I was beginning to feel weak and nauseated without it.
I decided to take a break on a large fallen log, and put my head into my hands when suddenly I heard a familiar, comforting sound.
“Please stop!”
There was a pause after the request, and then laughter.
It was the sound of another woman’s voice. Not just a woman, but a human woman.
My heart pounded in excitement, and I rushed blindly forward, eager to see one of my own kind again after such a long time of feeling alone on this bizarre new planet.
“Oh!” she said, her eyes widening. There was a group of three other human women with her. “Where did you come from?”
“I’ve escaped…nobody knows I’m here.”
“You must be Dr. Lain,” the tallest of the women said. “Your bed has been empty for a few days since the ship came in. It has caused quite a stir.”
Who was Dr. Lain?
“Please, do you have some water?”
The women laughed, a soft, tinkling sound that was music to my ears.
“Oh yes; the handsome man in charge of your ship demanded we have our fill of it. It’s quite funny; they’ve largely overcompensated.”
The women led me forward together, and I found myself approaching a large, imposing structure that looked like an oversized medic’s tent from a war zone.
“Don’t be afraid, Lain,” the tallest woman said. She urged me forward, and I thought better of defying her. Perhaps having an identity in this place already would be a good thing. Lord knew it felt good to have other humans around again. I hadn’t realized just how much I missed my own kind.
“Drink.”
I stared in shock at the giant fountain in the middle of the large room. Beds were lined against the walls, and the fountain rose high. Tubes of water were being suctioned from the fountain and dangling above each bed. Women were lazily taking sips of water as they looked through picture books full of Thressl’n words and images and chatted pleasantly across the wide room.
I drank greedily, finally satiating my thirst.
“Who is this?”
a Thressl’n voice, much higher in pitch than Laike’s voice, suddenly rang out over our heads. I stopped drinking, and fear rose in my breast.
“This is Dr. Lain Brousseau!” the tall woman exclaimed proudly. “She escaped earlier, but we found her during our exercise walk.”
“It’s about time,” the Thressl’n woman said sternly. “You should be punished for your insubordination!”
“Peace, Jennai’k,” another Thressl’n woman said, touching Jennai’k’s shoulder. “The humans had no idea what was happening to them. You would have been afraid too.”
Jennai’k scowled at me but turned her back and stalked out of the tent.
“We will not punish you this time,” the kinder Thressl’n woman said. “But please mind yourself while you are here, so you do not have to come to harm.”
I nodded, my lips tight. Perhaps coming to the camps with the other women had been a bad idea. What kind of penalties would they give insubordinate Earthlings? If the Thressl’n people in charge of punishments were anything like Zod, there was no way of knowing.
“I’m sure you haven’t eaten in a while,” the kind Thressl’n woman said. “Please be patient, as a meal will be served in less than a rotation.”
“What is a rotation?”
I had heard Laike speak of rotations and revolutions, but had never felt comfortable interjecting in his thought process. His mind moved a million miles a minute, and it felt almost sinful to break into his thoughts and distract him with simple questions. Now that I finally had someone who had shown compassion toward me to ask, I took full advantage.
“A rotation is around 45 Earth minutes, I believe the calculation for conversion said; you’ll forgive me if I’m a bit rusty. A revolution is the time it takes our planet to revolve around the sun. I believe the English term you would be familiar with is a ‘year.’”
I nodded, pleased to finally learn something about the way the Thressl’n kept time. It would be interesting knowledge to bring back to the people of Earth if I was ever able to escape from this place.
Unfortunately, there was no way of knowing if there was a way out of here. From the looks of things, the women had gotten pretty comfortable in their camps. But I knew there was bound to be a catch, and I had to stay on my guard until I figured out just what exactly that catch was going to be.
***
“Lain!” the tall woman shouted.
I was startled by the sound of her voice so close to my ear, and whipped around to look at her.
“I called you three times!” she exclaimed. “Do you have hearing problems or something?”
“Oh..uh…”
“You should keep that to yourself if you do,” she continued without waiting for my answer. “The Thressl’n only want women of the best genetic stock around. They might not think it’s worth the resources to keep you around if you aren’t even able to hear properly.”
“I can hear just fine,” I mumbled. It was true; my hearing was excellent. The issue was that I wasn’t used to answering to the name Lain. But nobody seemed to notice unless they were calling me. I would have to try to keep that in mind.
“Well good. Anyway, I wanted to tell you to get ready, because our men are coming soon.”
“Our men?”
My stomach dropped. Of course, this was the catch. The Thressl’n had brought women to the planet Jenal’k for breeding purposes. Not so we could have a prolonged sleepover party in their big fun tent.
“Yes…it’s actually really cute. They have been watching movies on how to court women from Earth. You know, to get them in the mood to breed. It’s quite a show.”
I raised my eyebrow. I could only imagine what would happen if Laike started getting ideas from movies about how to woo me.
“But you don’t have a man yet,” she said thoughtfully. “It might be better if you stand back and watch. I doubt they have anybody scheduled for you today. It’s a long trip from the red desert where most of the men come from. It would have been too short notice to alert another.”
“How often do they come?” I asked. I was already dreading the time it would take for me to get assigned a Thressl’n man who would hope to claim me. Wasn’t two enough?
“About once or twice a week. We kind of lose track of the days in here.”
“I see,” I sighed.
“Don’t worry though; some of them are surprisingly kind.”
Laike’s handsome face flashed in my mind. I couldn’t help but miss his smile, and his sweet way of treating me. But what good was kindness when you weren’t free?
“Earth females! Prepare yourselves for date night!”
I had to stifle my laughter when Jennai’k’s grim announcement reached my ears. She looked so spiteful at us that her irritated voice proclaiming “date night” struck me as unbelievably funny.
The tall girl winked at me and then rushed to join the ranks of the other women who were standing in front of their beds with their arms crossed over their stomachs.
“Lie low, they will ignore you and set their sights only on the female they wish to mate with,” she called over her shoulder.
I nodded and stood back against the wall as, one by one, the Thressl’n men began to crowd into the tents. Many of them were carrying strange flowers and boxes wrapped with awkward bows. I could only assume they were gifts of food and sweets, as the movies had taught them.
I watched as, in a very orderly fashion, the Thressl’n men stopped in front of their women and presented their gifts. Some of the women were delighted to tear into the boxes and eat the food inside; if it tasted like Laike’s cooking, I couldn’t blame them. The gruel that Jennai’k had prepared for us was unappetizing at best.
Other women were presented exotic looking plants and held them carefully as their men jabbered on and on about how wonderful they looked. It was all incredibly funny.
My amusement was cut short, however, by a dark shadow that stopped in front of me.
“It’s your lucky day, Dr. Lain,” Jennai’k said with a vicious grin on her face. “There’s somebody here who wants to meet you.”
Chapter 8
Laike Ostra’ki (Repair and Maintenance)
The next two days without Emily in the house were the worst of my life. Not only had I traded my best friend’s freedom for her life, but I missed her terribly. I had never before felt so strongly for another before, and it seemed oddly typical of my life that the first female I should develop feelings for was a bizarre human who had no intention of ever caring about me.
Still, memories of our tryst kept me going on the days when it felt impossible, and I knew that I couldn’t give up on my search for her. Many Thressl’n men would show no mercy with a wandering human, and Thressl’n females were quite bitter at the thought that because of male stupidity, they were going to be replaced by inferior females from another world. Either way, if she was discovered, she would run into danger. It was unavoidable.
I did my best to get through work as quickly as I could so that I could return all of my efforts back to searching for Emily. I subtly informed Kelron of her disappearance, hoping that there would be a chance that he found her. However, I could only assume he was telling me the truth when he said that he had seen no sign of the human, and my search continued alone and without much progress.
I divided my time between working, moving on foot in search of Emily, and searching in the hovercraft. Two days of searching yielded no results, and I knew I finally had no choice but to check the camps. However, there was no way that anybody would offer me clearance without a good enough reason.
A sudden, sick plan formed in my mind, and as much as I hated the thought of it, I knew what had to be done. If nothing else, it was worth a try. Even if it got me into trouble.
***
“You want what?”
I had been expecting resistance in the head office. I was a simple repair and maintenance man, while the men moving in and out of the building issuing orders and monitoring clearance
into the Supreme Leader’s palace were all high-ranking officials with a permanent scowl etched on their faces. It was an intimidating place to be, particularly now that I was used to isolation on Mount Zennith.
“State your purpose,” the secretary said without bothering to look up at me from the papers on the desk in front of him.
“I want to speak with Captain Zod.”
“What?” The man caught my eye and laughed unkindly. “There is no way that Captain Zod would see someone like you.”
I glowered.
“It just so happens I found a lost valuable that the Captain has been looking for and he said that he would reward me for it. I would like to speak with him about the compensation.”
“I see,” the man said, though it was clear that he didn’t believe me.
“Please tell Captain Zod that I am here.”
“All right, all right. Have a seat.”
I refused to budge, and the man sighed heavily. He pressed a button combination on his communication device and held it up to his mouth.
“Captain Zod, there’s someone here who would like to see you. He says he returned a valuable item to you and you promised him compensation.”
The man was silent for a moment before looking up at me one more time.
“Your name?”
“Laike Ostra’ki,” I answered, standing as tall as I could. I knew that he could tell by my clothes that I was low ranking, but that didn’t mean I had to look meek. In fact, if I could, I would have wanted to knock some sense into him.
“Captain Zod says to come right up,” the man said, lowering his communication device away in surprise. “It’s room 10A.”
“That is what I thought,” I said, raising my chin up at the secretary and heading toward the elevator. “Thank you.”
***
The elevator ride was a little bit intimidating. The elevators were large and spacious, built to accommodate many large and busy Thressl’n bodies at a time. But when I was alone in the elevator it felt far too vast and seemed to accentuate the hollow feeling I had in my chest after losing Emily.
