by Maia Starr
"This room is clear! There are no humans in this room! Continue the search! Kill all the humans except for the females!” the deep voice shouted. Tears began to fall from my eyes as I realized that all of my crewmates would be decimated. All except the other two females that were on the ship. The other female was a scientist Dr. Jade Roberts who I did not know very well, but I had a lot of respect for her and her work. The other female was a nutritionist and cook on the ship. She was not a scientist like Dr. Roberts and I, but she was just as important to the structure and system of the ship. We were all going to be taken captive. I struggled with myself between two choices. I could stay hidden within the infirmary, but what if they decided to blow up the ship once they removed the females back to their ship? Then I would be blown to pieces. Or I could come out of hiding and know that they would take me captive. I would be destined to be a slave to the Kalazaron and who knew exactly what that meant. I could be subjected to many terrors. I decided that I would stay hidden, mostly because I was so scared that I was paralyzed with fear. I could not move. In the quiet and darkness of the little cabinet, I waited my fate. And then I felt the ship move, it was a shocking experience. The warriors must be taking the ship to their planet. So either way, I was definitely headed to the planet Kaethon and an indefinite fate.
Hours later it was very quiet. Then there was a loud ruckus. "Take it all apart! You know the drill. Anything salvageable send to our shipyard, and allow our engineers to examine the pieces. Get started!"
Oh no, I thought. They were definitely going to find me. But I couldn't exactly stay in the cabinet forever. A few moments later I felt the entire cabinet shift. I instinctively let out a yell.
"Did you hear that?" I heard a voice say. The cabinet door slid open and two Kalazaron warriors were staring at me. I had never seen them before in person. I had only seen drawings of what we thought they might look like based on various bits of information. Because once you were captured by the Kalazaron warriors, you never returned to earth. As I looked at them, my scientific mind took over. I examined the blue tint of their skin on various parts of their muscular body. They did not wear a top or a shirt, and around their waist was a leather like skirt that I could only describe as something that a gladiator from ancient Rome might wear. On their waist was a belt with various tools and a blaster gun. Their arms were very strong and from the wrists up to the elbows were leather like cuff sleeves that I assumed came in handy for battle. This alien race of the Kalazaron warriors were male dominant, as in they had more males than females on the planet. It was a patriarchal society, and everything was decided by battle or fighting. This was not shocking to me because it seemed to be that way on earth whenever human males were left in charge of things. Judging by the look of the warriors in front of me, they were very humanlike indeed. They were much taller than humans at 7 to 8 feet. They had broad shoulders and long limbs that were proportionate to that height. They also exhibited a fierce appearance with thick furrowing eyebrows and piercing eyes. These two warriors had different hair, which made me think it was not standard to have one type of hair like in the military on earth. One warrior had long locks of hair that hung down to his shoulders, while the other one had a buzz shaved head. They both looked at me and then looked at each other and then smiled. My hand started to sweat as they grinned at me.
"Look at this. It seems to be we have a stow away," one of the warriors said.
"It can't be a stowaway if it is on my ship," my sharp tongue replied. I am immediately felt regret for letting my sassy mouth say such a thing. But sometimes I could not help myself. I had a knack for correcting people when they were wrong and I did so without thinking about it.
The warriors began to laugh and then one of them said," she must be taken to Commander Yun."
"No, now that we are back on the planet, the chain of command goes to Master Bresh," the other one said.
I did not know who either of these commanding bodies were, but I would very much like to meet the one that commanded my entire crew be murdered. I had a few words for him.
"Are you going to come out or are you going to force us to pull you out?" The warrior asked. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I crawled out of the cabinet space. As soon as I was free the warrior grabbed my arm and led me out of the ship. We walked down the ship bridge onto land. My mouth fell open at what I saw.
Massive towering ships were in front of me spread out on the land. It was like a ship graveyard, or junkyard. I was in complete awe as I did recognize a few earth ships, but other ships were unlike anything I had ever seen. I was so fascinated as they lead me through the maze of metal that it took me a while before I was actually looking at the environment that I was in. I did notice the cold air hit me as soon as we came out of our ship but I did not notice the beauty of the blue planet until that moment. Once we were out of the junk yard maze I noticed the pale blue dirt beneath my feet. In the distance there were large blue Mountains against a light blue sky on the horizon. As I tilted my head up the white silver sun showed bright in the sky making the blue turn into an almost purple tint. It was a very common color to look at and I was completely astounded by it. As we moved along the blue dirt fields I realized that we were in the outskirts of a city. Up ahead in the distance was a massive urban development, and I could only assume that this was the city of Konthos, the capital city of this planet. My mouth fell open again at the large structures of the city. There were low ones and two-story buildings stretched out across several miles. Then there were towering skyscraper buildings that stretched toward the sky. They were definitely an advanced technological race in order to build such structures and I wondered if their civilization was older than the human civilization on earth. But how would I ever tell that, perhaps their lengths of time was very different to earth time and parameters. I stayed quiet and allowed myself to let my eyes indulge in the sights, sounds, and scents.
As we moved along we entered the heart of the city and it looked like a bustling market with many tables stretched out littered with goods and services. Many Kalazaron aliens were scurrying about buying and bargaining. It was completely fascinating to watch. Then I was led to a very tall building. There was lettering on the side of it, but I could not read Kalazaron. We entered the lobby and the warriors that escorted me said to the entrance guard, we found this human female on the recently captured ship while we were stripping it. We wish to take her to Master Bresh.
"Halt while I make your presence known," the entrance guard replied. I looked around the lobby of the building and noticed that it was populated with Kalazaron males that were dressed slightly different. Some of them wore long robes, while others wore very distinguished medallion belts across their shoulders. I gathered that I was in some sort of political atmosphere as the warriors had said they were taking me to the Master. I knew a little about the hierarchy of the Kalazaron warrior race. I wondered if I was in the Buildings of Order?
"The Master will see you now," the entrance guard said as he nodded to another guard beside him. This guard accompanied the three of us to a glass elevator. Minutes later we were rising up the long clear shaft of the building going higher and higher. It was an absolutely amazing experience, but as we grew closer I knew that my fate would soon be decided by this Master. Perhaps he would decide to keep me as his female slave. I began to shake.
Minutes later we entered a large round chamber. A male Kalazaron that was older than the warriors at my side was present. He was distinguished looking and sat at a table. He stood up and looked at me. "Tell me where you found this one?" he said as he moved toward us. One of the warriors that had found me with the long locks of hair replied, "She was hiding in a cabinet in the ship that Commander Yun recently captured. As soon as we found her we brought her here to you."
"Good, you are dismissed. Tell no one what you have told me. I will take care of this," the Master said. His words brought chills to me. Why would he want to keep my presence a secret?
Once we were alone the
Master walked around me examining my body. Then he took out a small tool and a light beam came out and went up and down my body.
"What the hell is that?! Stop! I demand you to stop!"
He stopped and looked at me in silence. Then he began to laugh. "You have courage. I like that. It is not often that we see that in the human females that come to us," he said.
"Don't you mean the ones that you take prisoner and force to become slaves?" I said in my sassy tone that I could not control. It was my defiance once again. It ruled my life.
"Yes, if that is how you see it. Now tell me female of courage what do they call you?"
"My name is Dr. Lavender Prost."
"Doctor" he asked.
"Yes, I fix bodies that are injured or ill. A healer of sorts," I said to him.
"I see. Here we call those males the reconstructionists. I believe you human female, and in the morning you shall demonstrate your skills. For now you shall have a safe room. You may rest and feed, and be assured that no one will bother you," the Master said as he moved over to a wall panel and began to move around holographic images. I was in shock by his words. He wanted me to demonstrate to him my doctor skills, but why? Would I need those types of skills when I was nothing but a human female slave and concubine?
"Follow me," he said as he moved out of the chamber and I followed him down the hall a few doors down. He pressed his hand against the wall and an invisible panel came out of hiding. The wall slid open.
"I am the only one that is able to open this door. I will find you in the morning. You will find a sleeping chamber, food, and all that you require in this chamber."
I stared at the Master assuming that this was some sort of trick. I wondered where the other women were that were on the same ship. But I stopped myself from asking because what if they had gotten away? Then I would be letting the Kalazaron know that there were human females out there to be captured. I kept my mouth shut and nodded to the Master as I moved into the chamber. The door slid closed behind me. I immediately turned around to try to figure out if there was a way to open it. But then I thought, where would I go? I was probably safer here locked up in this chamber than on the streets with a bunch of brash male warriors. I turned toward my new home, if even a temporary one. I was famished! I made my way into what I assumed was a kitchen as there were many cabinets, a table, and bowls. I opened a cabinet and there was fruit and bottled beverages. I opened one and inspected it. I smelled it and poured a little into a bowl. I took a small sip of it and waited a few minutes to see if I had any reaction. I was a doctor after all. However, I knew that humans had been slaves on this planet for a while, so that must mean that the food that the Kalazaron ate was safe for human consumption otherwise humans would not last very long on this planet. I picked up a piece of round fruit and smelled it before taking a bite into it. It was sweet and delicious and reminded me of a mango. I took my meal over to the large glass window and looked down upon the city. It looked like an ant colony from this height. I felt fortunate to be able to investigate the city from such a safe haven. After my meal I looked around the chamber. There was a comfortable bed complete with sheets and behind a curtain was a bathroom. I was relieved to see such a comfort and immediately filled a large glass tub with hot water before taking a long bath. I could not believe that this was now my reality. It was only months before that I had set out on the spaceship as the crew doctor. It was my third such a mission and I considered myself to be very experienced. My life on earth was not exactly a boring one and I longed to get back to it, but I knew that was now impossible. No one ever returned from this planet back to earth, it was unheard of. I was doomed to live here for the rest of my life and tears began to fall down my wet face as I came to terms with this now that I was in solitude.
After my bath I slept deeply and soundly on the comfortable bed as I had not slept in hours and my muscles ached from being in a crouched position in the cabinet on the ship for so long. Exhaustion had overcome my body, and now it was getting some relief.
The next morning, the Master himself summoned me, as he opened my door. I was waiting for him, as I knew that this was the morning that I was to show him my medical skills and expertise.
"Dr., follow me as we are ready to see your skills," he said as I followed him out of the chamber. I was led into another building that looked a lot like a hospital on earth. There was an injured warrior lying on the table with a small piece of metal sticking out of his calf.
"How would you treat this injury?" Another male asked that was next to the Master.
"First I would make sure that the tools are sterile. Then I would use these forceps here to remove the piece of object in the leg. Then I would clean the wound, if that capability exist here. After which I would use stitching to close the wound. I would finish that off by covering and bandaging the wound so as to not get it infected with dirt. I would also follow up with making sure that the warrior was eating an adequate diet to help his body heal."
There was silence as everyone looked at each other and then nodded in agreement. The Master looked at me and then said, "You may begin."
I looked around making sure that I wasn't being tricked of some sort. Then I began to do the work that I had laid out in conversation. I followed the exact steps in quiet and got really into my work. Once I was deeply involved, I almost forgot that I was a captive. I was so excited to be working on the Kalazaron race. It was a scientific wonder to me and no other doctor that I knew I had experienced this advantage. I did my work skillfully and I did it very well. When I was done the Kalazaron came around to examine my work.
"This is very good work Dr. Prost. That is all for now," the Master said to me. I nodded my head to him as a thank you, but kept very quiet. I was then led back to my chamber and not bothered again for two days.
On the morning of the second day I once again met with Master Bresh. "The council has decided that we can use your skills in Belvenreed. You will be leaving in two hours on the next supply ship."
"What? What is that? I am not staying here? Does this mean I cannot go back to earth?" I began to ramble on in confusion and fear. I was only starting to get used to the city and everyone I had met so far. Now I was going to be sent to a new location where it was possible that the Kalazaron were not so pleasant and understanding.
"Belvenreed is an outpost 100 miles from the city. It is where we fight the rebel forces as they are based inside the mountains. We have a strong hold that separates the city from the rebel forces and that is called Belvenreed. As you can imagine there are many battles and fights, and the warriors there require reconstruction skills. You showed that you could do those skills very well. Perhaps you can learn even more of the ways in which reconstruction works. As well as perhaps our reconstructionists can learn what you know. It is the best place for you. Your skills should not be wasted around here as a common female slave. This is my orders and shall be done. Best of times to you. You will be escorted from the chamber soon," the Master said as he left me.
I was completely astounded by what he had said. They wanted me to be a triage doctor in the field of battle. I was torn between feeling extremely excited that I would get to continue my career in such a unique fashion but also completely terrified that I was being thrown into an outpost in the far reaches of the planet away from the city where there was much danger. How had my life come to this? It did not matter. I did not have a choice.
Hours later I was sitting in a ship like I had never seen before. For some reason they allowed me to sit in the cockpit area with the pilot in sort of a passenger seat.
"They call me Quan Ban," he said to me as he turned on the ignition of the ship.
"They call me Dr. Lavender Prost," I said in return. He looked over at me and smiled a very attractive grin. He seemed to be a very young warrior with a sort of boyish charm that caught me off guard.
"Well Dr., are you in for some fun?" He said.
I felt confused and a bit scared as to what type of fun he
was referring to. But then my fears were put to rest as he said, "Hold onto your head!" As he pulled on a lever and the ship shot forward at such speed that we did not have on earth. Soon the supply ship was gliding over the ground about 20 feet up of what I assumed was some sort of road or path. The pilot shouted, "Woo hoo!" As he skillfully drove the ship. I was glued to the chair and then I began to enjoy the experience and laughed at the fun ride. I looked out of the glass but we were going so fast that it was hard to see anything other then landscapes blurred as we passed them. The pilot would turn to grin and nod at me as he obviously enjoyed his work.
Then the pilot grew serious and I looked ahead to see why. We were approaching the blue Mountains that I had seen when I first stepped foot on this planet. The ship dropped lower, hovering only about a foot or two above the dirt.
"You see that? That is the rebel base, within those mountains. Say what you will about the rebels, but they were very intelligent to put their base inside of those mountains. It is practically impenetrable. We must to be cautious."
As we approached I saw the base where I would be living. It had high walls and there were guards set at every post. Inside the walls was basically a small village that looked to be self-sustaining. One wall slid open, and our ship entered. We were now inside the base. I was relieved that we had made it because I knew that we were in danger outside the walls.