Worlds Collide

by J. L. Hendricks

  Was she thinking about some of her experiences? Did this remind her of her old life? It was no wonder she accepted Venay so quickly. She knew what it was like to be all on your own with no one to lean on. No family to help in times of crisis.

  I hadn’t thought of her background before, at least not in relation to her decision to marry her alien abductor. It was all starting to make sense.

  I nodded my head in agreement. “That’s smart. Do you think they’ll get any replicators tomorrow? I don’t know if I can take another day of that gross goop they call food we’ve been forced to eat.” I almost gagged just thinking about it.

  “I must admit, that was one of the biggest reasons why I accepted Venay’s offer.” She laughed and I followed suit. “He promised me real food, so I said yes.”

  I could believe that. If I hadn’t just decided earlier today to stay out of unhealthy relationships, I might let Zelan claim me as his mate. Just so I could have better food, and a bed!

  “I hope they do bring at least two back. Feeding our ‘guests,’ as Cazon affectionately calls them, is going to be difficult if we can’t get them better food,” she said.

  “Yeah, but do you think we will be here for five months? Stuck in this ship?” The idea of staying here in jail cells for so long frightened me.

  "Most likely. Venay said the other two ships that were fighting the insectoids in space left to get needed repairs from the closest space station they have. But they were not going home. Instead, they received new orders to patrol the border between the Zateelians and V'Zenians. I guess war is on the horizon, and they need more warships on the border. Venay isn't even sure if he will go back to Earth anytime soon. He might need to command a battle cruiser. His commanding officer, an Admiral Hosha'an, told him to stay here and help protect the settlement as well as this ship until reinforcements arrive." Paris’s grip on her tea cup tightened and her knuckles turned white.

  “Does that mean that you will be leaving us and going to the outpost?” I sat up straight and wondered how bad it would get if the Commander left the Captain in charge here. Something told me that would be very bad for us humans.

  "Only for a few days. Venay wants to make sure their defenses are up to snuff, and he also wants to take the shuttlecraft they have and see if he can find any more of our people or the insectoids. We have to find everyone before the re-supply ship arrives. Maybe if we can secure the planet, then Venay will allow more freedom for all of you. Hopefully, me too.” She pointed to her chest. “I know he means well, but at times it does feel like I traded one jail cell for another. Although, I do enjoy this one." She raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, and I knew I did not want to know any more details.

  “Will you go with the Commander when he leaves?” I didn’t want her to leave us, she was the only one who could help make our lives a little bit better.

  “He won’t leave me here. He said until we get to his home world, he doesn’t want me far from him. He feels safer that way, and quite a few crew members have asked that I not fight him on this. Apparently, when I’m not around he’s a real bear to deal with. Even the doctor asked me to stick close to Venay.” She chuckled.

  “Yikes! Alright.” I nodded thinking how I could use this to my advantage. “Can I go with you? Do you think you could find a reason to take me along? Paris, you’ve seen the cells here. It’s so packed that we can barely move around in there. Maybe take a few women with you.” Anything would be better than staying in those cells packed like sardines.

  “What reason do I give? I’m not going to suggest they stay as slaves here on this planet. I’m still hoping to get them freed by the time we get back to their home world.” She stood up and began pacing the floor in front of the sofa.

  “I don’t know. Maybe you could say some of them want to see if their mates are in the settlement? Would the Commander buy that excuse?” I asked.

  She tapped her forefinger to her lips, put her thumb under her chin, and “hmm’d” for a while. “That might work. But I think Venay knows who your fated mate is. Although, if we could get Zelan to go with us, then it would make sense to bring you. That would be an easier sell. I’ll talk to him tonight about it and see if I can finagle a few more women too.”

  “I can hear you even with the door closed, you do realize that don’t you?” Venay said as he walked out into the living room.

  "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?" Paris put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips.

  “As soon as you said, ‘gossip,’ I tried very hard not to listen. But, I just heard you mentioning my name, so my ears perked up.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Then sat down on a chair next to the sofa.

  “So, Natalie, you want to go to the outpost with us? Why?” Venay looked at me and I quaked a bit in my boots, so to speak. He was very imposing. Even sitting down, he still towered over me. He didn’t pulse blue or purple, he was pulsing orange and yellow. Didn’t orange mean frustration? I hoped he wasn’t frustrated with me.

  "Well, I’ll be honest. Those cells are so tight we can't even sit down in them. We’re packed in there like sardines. I had to ask to see Paris in order to get a shower. Since we arrived on this ship, no showers have been granted to any of us." I tried looking him in the eyes, but I couldn't. He made me nervous. How did Paris deal with him? Surely, he always got his way with her. Maybe that’s why she married him? He strong-armed her into it?

  “I have not been down to the cells yet. First thing tomorrow I will take a look. However, I will make sure that everyone gets a shower on a regular basis. There is no excuse for not keeping you all clean. If the doctor knew this, he would be livid.” He stood up and went back to the other room, but stopped just short of the door, “Natalie, if I were you, I wouldn’t keep Zelan waiting too much longer. I have heard the gossip about him and some other woman. Zelan wants a mate. If you care for him, you will find a way to accept what he does. Paris has accepted what I do. Maybe she can help you.” Then he walked into his room.

  Paris put her finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh, if he can hear, you don't want to say anything negative right now. Just nod and go along with him. We’ll get things changed, but it's easier to do so from within than it is as a slave."

  "You’re right," I whispered.

  “How do you all sleep if you can’t sit down?” Paris tilted her head and furrowed her brow.

  “A few can sit at a time. They sleep sitting, and we take turns. It sucks, but it’s the only way. I’m really tired. Do you think I could sleep on your couch tonight?” I felt the cushions on the sofa and realized it would be quite comfortable. And it would be the first time in days that I could lay flat without touching someone else.

  “Sure, I don’t see why not. You’re going to need a good night’s sleep if you go with us tomorrow to the settlement. I think Venay wants to leave mid-morning. But I should warn you, he gets up early and will come through here to get his breakfast before heading out. You’ll most likely get woken up. Once he’s gone, you can go back to sleep.” She picked up her tea cup and took another sip.

  “Thanks, Paris. You’re a lifesaver! I truly don’t know what any of us would do if you hadn’t accepted his offer.” I pointed to the closed door the Commander had gone through just a few minutes earlier.

  "I do love him. At first, it wasn't about love. In the beginning, I accepted his offer as a ruse. I thought I could find a way off his ship or get it turned around and head back to Earth. Once I finally realized that wasn’t going to happen … my feelings started to change. There’s something to that mating bond everyone has been talking about. Do you feel it for Zelan?” She took another larger drink of her tea now that it was cooling down.

  “I … well, I don’t think so. He’s good looking and very nice. Zelan has proved to be a gentleman, well, aside from abducting innocent women. The past few days have been nice, or as nice as they can be when you’re attacked by mutant cockroaches.” A wry smile crossed my face.

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nbsp; “He does seem nice. I think you could do much worse than him. What about your fiancé back home? Are you over losing him yet?” Paris continued to whisper.

  I chuckled. “I haven’t missed Ben for several days now. In fact, I don’t know that I ever loved him. He hit me once when he was drunk. Of course, he apologized the next day when he was sober and noticed the red welt on my cheek, but after that, my feelings for him changed. Even though this is not the best place to be, it might actually be a good thing I was abducted. I would never have left him. My family wouldn't have allowed it. Father introduced us when we were teenagers. It was expected that I would eventually marry Ben.” I shook my head.

  “This experience has taught me that I do love my family and miss them very much. Ben…not so much. I recently realized we had an unhealthy relationship, and I’m actually glad to be out of it. One day I do hope to marry and have kids, but it needs to be in a healthy, loving relationship. Not because I think my life will be easier. That was what it would have been with Ben, the easy way out. My father drilled into me from high school that I was to marry Ben after college. I love my dad, but he never saw the evil in Ben. Even I didn’t realize how bad our relationship was until now. Ben was charismatic and everyone seemed to love him. He was good at putting on an angelic face.” I looked down at my lap and felt a sting behind my eyes.

  “I can understand that. It’s good you realized that your relationship was toxic. Shoot, even I knew that after the first time we met. You told us several things about Ben that made me happy he was no longer in your life. What kind of man tells his fiancé she looks fat, when in fact she’s very skinny? Or doesn’t give her praise of any kind? Had you stayed with him, you would have ended up with an eating disorder.” She handed me another cookie.

  I gladly accepted it and thought screw you Ben! It actually felt good to not worry about what I ate for a change. During the past year, Ben had been trying to control my diet. He would have thrown a fit if he knew I was eating a cookie.

  A smile crossed my face and I was happy, for a change.

  Paris continued, “Zelan is a good guy maybe you just need time to get to know him better. And as for the slavery issue, being on the inside has already helped out a lot. They have never given their slaves anything more than that chalky stuff they fed us. So, while it isn’t freedom, at least you all are getting better food and treated more humanely too. I think in the past, it was the doctor who insisted on regular showers, not the Commander.” She quirked one eyebrow.

  I thought about that. Maybe she was creating change. Even if it was slow, things were changing. I got the impression that none of the warriors called us anything other than slaves or mates before this trip. Now they are calling us humans, women, men, and sometimes guests. Hopefully, they will start seeing us in a better light and our treatment will be commensurate with their view of us.

  "Thank you for all of the help you gave us. After the crash, it did seem as if we were on a more equal level. At least until we arrived here. Now we’re back to being slaves and prisoners." I sighed and slouched. Exhaustion was overtaking me, and I had no more fight left in me for the day.

  “Let’s get some sleep and see what happens tomorrow. Maybe Venay will see the cells and order that you guys get better accommodations. Positive thinking usually helps me get some sleep too.” She got up, brought me a pillow and blanket, and then gave me a hug goodnight. I was starting to think I might have a real friend in Paris.

  Chapter 7

  The next morning brought with it a new sense of dread. Zelan came to Paris's door before I was up. He was to escort me the entire time we were away. Basically, I was his prisoner until we returned. Oh, joy. Not!

  He walked in and moved my legs off the couch to sit next to me. “Good morning, Natalie. I understand that you wanted to go see the outpost today. Can I ask why?” He finally looked at me when he asked his question.

  When he first sat down, he had looked straight ahead. His veins were pulsing between orange, blue, and yellow. Where was the purple? His eyes were always purple, and they were beautiful. But it was his veins that I enjoyed watching.

  I must be going crazy.

  “I needed to get out of those cells. We’re too cramped in there. Plus, this is supposed to be a safe trip. The Commander wouldn’t take Paris if there was going to be any danger, right?” I wiped the sleep from my eyes and yawned.

  He pulsed black for a quick second, then a deep blue. “So, it had nothing to do with me? You didn’t want to spend some time getting to know me better?"

  His eyes held no trace of their normal spark, and he pulsed a sky blue then navy blue. The black was gone, or maybe it was my imagination. He sighed and started to stand up.

  “Wait. Yes, I did want to see you, too. Paris told me I should spend some time getting to know you better. She said that just because you take part in the abductions of hundreds of humans, it doesn’t make you a bad guy. However, I do think that it makes you a bad guy.” I looked over at him, and he had sadness written all over his face.

  His eyes were closed. He hung his head and was very quiet. "I can understand why you would think that. Kidnapping women and even men isn't something I enjoy. You do know that my people are dying out, don't you?" He looked up at me with quivering lips and sad eyes.

  "If we didn't find your people, mine would have died out by now. You probably don't understand, but most of us have trouble with this. We do it to save our race. My kind over the years have learned that this is how it is. We have to take humans to keep our species alive and kicking. Your planet is overrun with too many people who don’t even appreciate what they have. One day, maybe you will understand and not judge me too harshly.” He stood up, and I let him walk outside.

  It was time to get up and get ready, but there was a lump in my throat and my heart hurt for the guy.

  He was so sad and looked really lonely even though he was surrounded by his friends and fellow warriors. What must it be like to know that your entire civilization was on the brink of destruction? How would the leaders of my own planet act if we were in such a situation? Maybe it wasn’t so cut and dry, but they needed to find another means of stabilizing their world.

  As I prepared for the day, my heart was aching. I did understand to a certain degree where he was coming from, but I couldn’t accept a husband who enslaved others. Maybe we could be friends. That was really all I could offer him at this point.

  The Commander called us when the transport ship from the settlement arrived. I was actually excited to go with them on this trip. Sadly, I was the only slave allowed to go. Which meant that I would be spending a lot of time with Zelan. It might be ok, as long as he didn’t push things. I needed to find an opportunity to tell him that we could be friends. Would that sound as bad to an alien as it would to a human?

  Telan, Marcon, and Lorlo were also going with us. At least, I knew most of the aliens on this trip. The settlement sent two pilots with the ship, which made nine of us on this merry adventure. I really was merry, too. It was my first chance to meet aliens who lived with humans on a daily basis.

  Paris said this would give us an idea of what it might be like for us on V’Zenia.

  The pilot introduced himself to me as Haver, and his co-pilot was Aysiaer. Both were half human and half V’Zenian, or hybrids as they referred to themselves, and happy to see us. "Commander, it is so good to see more of my people here. I am truly sorry for the reason behind it. However, we are all very excited to have company. The outpost is quite small, and we have very few opportunities to meet new people." He smiled at Paris and me.

  Aysiaer walked up to me and reached out to shake my hand as he introduced himself, but at the last minute, he kissed the top of my hand instead. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Natalie." He gave me a very rakish smile. This alien was going to be trouble. His veins pulsed red, I had seen that color, but very rarely, and I didn't know yet what it meant. Paris giggled, and Zelan put his arm around my shoulder like he was claiming me.
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  “Come on Natalie. Let’s go and get buckled in before take-off.” Zelan was pulsing orange as we walked into the shuttle.

  “What’s wrong,” I whispered to him.

  He looked around and whispered back, “Stay away from Aysiaer. He looks like he will be trouble.” Yup, he was jealous. It was kinda cute but also a little annoying. I didn’t need guys fighting over me or even wanting me. For now, I was very content with being single for a change.

  “Look, I’m not interested in anyone right now. You and I need to have a talk, and soon. I’m single for the first time in years, and I am not going to jump right into another relationship. Not now.” I sat down next to him only because he was my chaperone for the trip. Well, and I didn’t know how to fasten those belts. He fastened me in before the rest even made it on the ship.

  The pilot and co-pilot went straight to their spots without even looking at me. Which was a relief.

  It felt really strange as we took off. I didn't remember what it was like in the Commander's ship. I woke up in the prison cells after we had already taken off. Or did they use transporters? Strange, I never thought to ask.

  The ship was loud, and it vibrated and shook as we moved up. From my vantage point, it appeared we went straight up in a line. When we hit our cruising altitude, we flew forward. Once we were moving forward, the ride was pretty smooth and not nearly as loud either.

  I could see the tops of trees as we headed to the outpost. This was going to be very exciting, as long as Zelan realized we could only be friends.

  “Zelan, how long is the flight?” I was enjoying this, and the view outside was incredible, but I had no idea how long we were going to be inside the craft.

  “It shouldn’t take more than two hours to get there. If we walked, it could take several days depending on how slowly we had to go.”