by Maia Starr
“Of course, sir. As you wish.”
I left the office with my hearts pumping wildly. If I were a different type of man, I would have struck Aloitus long ago, back when we were in the academy together.
***
“You have to do what I say, or you’ll get executed!”
Aloitus used to tell that to all of the young men in our class. The academy had been difficult for all young Thressl’n males, in particular, those chosen for the ruling classes. The females didn’t have it much better, though their rites of passage were kept secret from us. Our planet was heavily reliant on the ancient values; our sexes being considered very different and adept at specific types of tasks.
Unfortunately, these differences and our society’s way of dealing with them led to the gender disparity that I had been assigned to navigate. It tended to be that the male children were chosen for occupations full of danger and adventure, as our muscular structures were superior to most races in the universe. Thressl’n men were strong and brave, with great instincts for battle and how to use our powerful bodies.
Thressl’n women, on the other hand, were superior creatively, and were most often chosen as engineers and architects who created a most beautiful world for us to live in. It was thought that they were our most valuable resource, and one we must protect at all costs. Otherwise, I knew many a female who would have loved to go to battle alongside the males. They also had strong instincts, and generally leaned toward creative endeavors such as organizing philosophical seminars for the community and cultivating the land and food. Because our bodies and instincts were so different, we were reasonably divided and taught in different ways how to utilize our skills.
Unfortunately, the job pool that was available to Thressl’n men appeared far more glamorous than the job pool for Thressl’n women. Around the time of my birth, power hungry men were jailed for murdering their newborn females in the hopes of bringing power to their family name through a son. Females during that time were considered less precious and more of a burden to men who craved control over Thressl’n society.
When it came time for my birth, my father was chosen to draw my future occupation. I was born the same day as Supreme Leader Aloitus, and it just so happened that our families had long histories with the government of Jenal’k. That meant our chances of receiving leadership positions were greater, though not guaranteed.
Aloitus was chosen to become Supreme Leader, and I was chosen to be his second in command. What many people neglected to see, however, was the depth of his greed.
One day, a young male decided that he’d had enough of Aloitus’ bullying, and he raised a fist at him during our lunch break.
“Hold it right there, Kremm’lak!”
We were all frozen in fear. Aloitus had already been appointed bodyguards, one of which was my own uncle. He would have pummeled me without a second thought had I stood up to Aloitus and his bullying.
“I’m sorry…” Kremm’lak stammered. But it was too late. He had already shown violence toward the future Supreme Leader. And nobody would ever be allowed to harm Aloitus. Not until his term was up….150 revolutions of Planet Jenal’k around the three suns, which roughly translated to 45 Earth years. Aloitus had been throwing his weight around his entire life. Just because I was second in command, due to take over his reign if the people voted him out of power, didn’t mean I was allowed to fight back. In my opinion, the whole system was flawed.
“Did you see what happened to Kremm’lak?” Aloitus laughed, thumping me hard on the back the next day. My father had told me to be kind to the future leader. If I could stay in his good graces, then there were potential benefits for me and my family. But sometimes, keeping my mouth shut around Aloitus was the hardest thing to do.
“Yes,” I said, trying to keep the glumness out of my voice. Kremm’lak had been one of my best friends. And watching my uncle rearrange his face and send him to the holding chamber, where he was probably still awaiting release all these years later, made my stomach knot.
“He really got what he had coming to him,” Aloitus said, grinning. He broke a piece of his sacred bread in half and handed it to me.
“I can’t accept this…” I said fearfully. “What if someone sees?”
“My word is law around here,” Aloitus said, smiling kindly at me. “If I want to share with my friend, I shall.”
Ultimately, I shared the sacred loaf with Aloitus, and although it was the most delicious food on our planet, it felt heavy in my stomach. And so that feeling had remained for the majority of my time under Supreme Leader Aloitus.
But what was I to do about it? I knew my place. And if everyone else was smart, they would learn theirs as well.
***
“Good evening, my fellow Thressl’n,” I said as cheerfully as I could muster. My chest was still on fire from my meeting with Aloitus, but I was determined to do as I was commanded.
“Welcome back, Commander Arkti!” someone in the crowd shouted. Soon, everybody was cheering and applauding. I bowed, unable to keep myself from smiling. Even though the Supreme Leader could make me feel like hell, the people of Jenal’k were as loyal to me as they were to him. I could feel their praise and acceptance coming at me in waves. It was a nice change from the oppressive atmosphere of Aloitus’ office.
“Thank you. Hopefully, I will not need to venture back to Earth for quite some time.”
I paused as the crowd cheered once again, and finally held my hand up to silence them.
“It has come to my attention that perhaps too many Earthlings have been brought to the planet Jenal’k. This could pose a danger to our planet, and so it is paramount that the human females only be visited for breeding purposes. Your schedules will be handed out by the Supreme Leader when the time is right. Until then, it is important that we don’t try to assimilate humans or their culture into our society, as they are not only a danger to themselves, but to those around them as well. Because of this, they will be housed in the camps on the far side of Mount Zennith, and are only to be visited upon clearance from the Supreme Leader. We appreciate your full understanding and cooperation.”
I hesitated. I always wanted to leave my people with more than just an order, the way Supreme Leader Aloitus did. It seemed such a cold way to lead a nation.
“Thank you again for your warm welcome,” I finally said. “It is good to be home.”
The crowd cheered again, and I turned my back to the noise.
There was something burning in my mind. A certain female who had been trapped in my private chambers for the better part of a rotation. And now that I was free of my duties as Second in Command, I could hardly keep myself from sprinting back to my ship and seeing to it personally that the female I had abducted from Earth made it to the camps safely.
Chapter 9
Dr. Lain Brousseau
I wiggled my fingers and felt a surge of relief. My body had been in hell sitting on the Thressl’n commander’s bed for the past half hour, but I was finally beginning to regain feeling in my limbs. It was nice to feel like myself again, and better, there was light in this room. I’d be able to preserve my hard-earned sanity.
I could hear a muffled speech through the heavy walls of the ship, and I could tell that it was being given by the voice that had somehow become my salvation in the darkness of the ship. The translation implant I’d received from my position as a researcher on the Orion Project was beginning to unscramble the idiosyncrasies of the language that the Thressl’n were speaking in, though I still hadn’t gotten a good look at any of them yet. The gas was obnoxiously strong, and no matter how hard I tried to keep my eyes open, I couldn’t make sense of anything I was seeing.
The voices had spoken in broken English over the microphone in the dark chambers where we had been stored during the flight, so it had been easy to understand. But the musical voice that I’d grown so fond of was now speaking in a language all his own as he addressed the crowds. I could gather bits and pieces, but my basic lack of understandi
ng was unbelievably frustrating to me.
And yet somehow, I felt like I could understand this particular man. Not by listening with my ears though. It seemed as if there was a different part of my brain that processed his intent. Something I’d never even known existed before. It was almost as if we shared a deep connection. But that was impossible. It was probably some form of Stockholm syndrome. That or a region of the brain I was unfamiliar with. Emotions were purely manifestations of brain chemistry, after all. I would have to make a mental note to figure out what that meant. If I ever got back to Earth, I would have to ask Nora. She specialized in neurobiology.
Feedback from the microphone seemed to imply that the speech was done. I’d been able to understand a little bit about the females being led to live in a camp, but the reason for our stay was still unclear. Once I could hold my eyes open, I looked around the room, shocked now that I could finally see. All of the furniture was a color I had never seen on Earth; a beautiful pastel that had no name. And unlike the monochromatic rooms on Earth, everything seemed to have its own color in this room. I’d never been somewhere quite so cheerful.
I closed my eyes, trying hard to summon an image of the man who had brought me here, but unlike my attempt to picture the woman in the dark room, no image appeared. I wasn’t even sure it had been Commander Zerk’k Arkti who had brought me here. I could have been hallucinating and imposing my own strange desire to be near that man again.
Had it been a dream? Or was the person who rescued me from the gas truly the same man with the musical voice I’d heard on the rooftop?
There was no way I could be sure. The drugs in my system were probably strong enough to down a full-grown elephant. For all I knew, I had been kidnapped right on Earth and was hallucinating the entire ordeal. Nothing was outside the realm of possibility.
Fortunately, the team at Project Orion had been smart enough to see abduction as a high possibility for members of our team, and we had begun to take supplements that strengthened our resistance to chemicals of extraterrestrial origins. Otherwise, I would probably be passed out in the dark room with all the other women the second they turned on the gas, whether I held my breath or not.
Even then, sitting bolt upright on the alien man’s bed, it would have been easy to slip into a deep sleep, but I was determined to experience every second of this bizarre abduction. I had so many questions about life on planets outside of Earth. There was no way I was going to miss an opportunity like this. Every detail seemed crucial.
A sudden clamor outside the room made my heart pound hard in my chest. Somebody was outside. I was going to have my first personal experience with an extraterrestrial. It was something I had been waiting for my entire life. But I wasn’t sure if I was more excited, scared, or angry. What right did they have to kidnap me like this? And when was I going back to Earth? I had work to do.
Angry accusations were on the tip of my tongue, but as the door hissed open, my mind suddenly went blank. I wasn’t prepared for the doorway to open, or for the tall, muscular man who came strolling through. His skin was a bright teal, and reminded me of a clear ocean on a sunny day. I could feel the confidence rolling off of him in waves, and I had to do a double-take. He was gorgeous, despite his somewhat strange features, and he looked like the kind of man who wouldn’t be crossed.
He was taller than any man on Earth I had ever seen in person, probably close to seven feet. Perhaps most striking about him was his smooth, sea-colored skin. He had no eyebrow hair, but a brow ridge was definitely there. I was sure it played a similar role for the Thressl’n in expressing emotion. He almost looked like the drawings I had made of mermen when I was a child, only he had no gills or fins. He was simply a perfectly proportioned man. But he wasn’t a human man. In fact, I had no idea what kind of a man he was.
His hair was a deep black, and reached down to his broad shoulders. His eyes were fixed on me, and he seemed unable to conceal a grin. It was a relief to know that he was able to show emotions similar to the way humans did, but I couldn’t help but take note of all of his differences. They were the most profound. Four fingers on each hand? He seemed to be missing a thumb. Longer rib cage? Was that why the Thressl’n were so tall? And the color of his eyes. A striking metallic purple. I found myself unable to look away from them.
“What?” he asked me, his voice deep and sensual. It sent shivers down my spine, and I had to keep myself from standing up to examine him fully. I didn’t know what he would do if I tried.
“Where am I?” I asked, my eyes still roaming him. He was unbelievably muscular. I could see the definition of his body through the tight black suit he was wearing. His clavicle and broad chest were peeking out from the V-neck of his shirt, and I noticed what could potentially be the nub of horns above his brow.
“You’re on the planet Jenal’k,” he answered stiffly, cutting himself off as if he were unsure just how much information to reveal to me. Or perhaps it was just as strange to him to be speaking with a human as it was for me to be speaking to him.
“What do you call yourself?” I asked, reaching behind me for the notebook I always kept in my back pocket. “Your race? Do you have a name? What are we doing here? Why did you abduct us?”
I flipped the notebook open, and suddenly, his cool hands were on mine and he was tugging the notebook away from me. Despite the lack of a thumb, the Thressl’n were very capable. I looked up at him in surprise, shocked to see the fear behind his purple eyes. He must have thought I had drawn a weapon.
It wasn’t until he had secured my notebook that he felt comfortable enough to speak.
“My name is Zerk’k Arkti. Commander Arkti. I’ve brought you all to Jenal’k because it is in the best interest of my species. The Thressl’n are suffering, and we have done some serious searching for beings that may be biologically compatible with our kind. Humans appear to be the most similar biologically, and so we brought you here.”
“Don’t you people know anything about consent?” I snapped, grabbing my notebook out of his hands. His handsome face looked surprised, and he seemed to be debating whether or not to fight with me over the notebook. When he saw me put it away, he visibly relaxed.
“The needs of my people are more important than consent. Who would consent to such a mission? Besides, your kind is dangerous. If we were to make ourselves known, there is no telling what might happen.”
“The Vellreq have made themselves known to us, and we haven’t done anything to hurt them,” I pointed out. I didn’t like the way he was referring to humans as “my kind.” As if we were something dirty and unrefined.
“The Vellreq are interested in humans for their own undesirable goals. They are not your friends. In fact, they are contributing to the speedy destruction of your planet. You’re lucky we saved you; Earth will not last much longer.”
I was ready to argue with him about that, but the serious and disturbed look on his face silenced me. If it was true that the Vellreq were simply using humans, it would make sense why they were always withholding information from us. I had never been entirely sure whether or not to trust them. One thing was certain though: their voices were grating and terrifying compared to the soothing music coming from the man across from me. But something so physiological wasn’t a good enough reason to assign trust to one species over another.
“Please,” he said, reaching his large hand out to me. “Come with me. It’s time to relocate the females.”
“No way!” I exclaimed, flinching away from his touch. “You haven’t answered all of my questions yet. I’m not going anywhere.”
He sighed and made a facial expression comparable to an eye-roll on Earth. It irritated me.
“Look, I’m not the one who thought it was okay to kidnap someone from her home and tote her halfway across the universe for some shady business she has nothing to do with.”
“108 lightyears,” Zerk’k said.
“What?”
“You’re not halfway across the universe. You’
re 108 lightyears away from Earth.”
I opened and closed my mouth, waiting for my brain to kick back into action and get back to interrogating him. But I was suddenly shocked by the reality of being so, so far from my home. Before I could stop myself, my eyes filled with tears.
“What the….” Zerk’k bent over to peer into my eyes, his face filling with dread. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Go to hell,” I growled, shoving his shoulder. I couldn’t stand the way he was looking at me. Like I was some kind of specimen. “I’m crying, okay? It’s what happens when humans are hurt.”
“Hmm,” Zerk’k said thoughtfully. He bent over again, his eyes looking up and down my body. I couldn’t remember ever being examined so closely and felt a deep flush creep across my cheeks. It was bizarrely intimate, and I didn’t like the way my body was responding, as if warming up to his attention.
“Cut it out,” I grumbled, backing away from him.
“Where are you hurt?” he asked. “I could help.”
“I’m not…ugh. My heart. My feelings. I want to go home.”
“Oh,” he said, straightening up. I looked into his handsome face, dismayed that he looked annoyed now. “I don’t understand. But I do understand that you miss Earth, and that because of your high water content, your body creates odd waste when you are distressed. Don’t worry though. We are actually doing you and the other females a favor.”
“A favor?” I asked incredulously. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Our scientists predict that Earth is headed for disaster. We’ve removed the choice females. Hopefully we will be able to preserve the positive aspects of humanity by integrating them with the superior qualities inherent in the Thressl’n. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, holding my hand up. The big picture was suddenly beginning to form in my head, and I didn’t like it one bit. “Are you trying to tell me that you brought us here to breed?”
Zerk’k smiled proudly. “Yes!”