by Maia Starr
I gave myself the motivation that I needed. I slowly slithered out from under the speeder and looked around. I could see soldiers looking for me running the opposite direction. It was now or never. I got up to my feet and ran as fast and quietly as I could to the white sand beach. I jumped into the water and held my breath. I had made it!
I dove underneath the waves and swam as long as I could underneath the water. I came up for air, barely sticking my face out of the water, and then swam underneath the water again. I hugged the coastline, swimming away from the city. I swam fast, but not too fast. I did not want to wear myself out; this was going to be a marathon. I didn't even know where this beach led to. The view from the tower made it look like the beach went on for miles and into the desert lands, which were very rocky. It would be the perfect hiding place if I could find some crevices in the large boulders and rocky cliffs there. It was as far as my plan had been thought through.
I took another deep breath and then swam farther and farther. I didn't know how much time had passed; I couldn't tell, but my muscles were growing tired. I came up for air and scanned the horizon. In front of me, I could see the rocky cliffs, I looked back toward the city; it was now just a dot on the horizon. I let out some relief. I took this time to float on my back to give my muscles a rest.
“You did it, Samantha. You can do anything. You have already been through the worst,” I said to myself breathlessly. I felt some relief as I allowed myself to rest, floating on my back. I looked up at the beautiful blue sky. If I only looked at the sky, I could imagine that I was floating in the ocean on Earth, instead of on Anvin. I began to grow teary-eyed. I missed Earth, my home.
“No, no time to feel sorry for yourself. Now turn over and continue to swim,” I said to myself. I turned, rolling onto my stomach, and then swam with a wide stroke like an Olympic swimmer, all the way around the rocky cliff. When I got to the other side, there was a beach. I swam for it. I climbed onto the beach and then rested on my back on the rocks. I felt somewhat safe, but I knew that the Waysaw Zenkian would be patrolling, looking for me once they realized they could not locate me in the city. I did not have much time. I got out and onto my feet, feeling very tired and dehydrated, but I had to go on.
I walked uphill, and once I got to the top, I looked out. I could barely see the city in the distance. Then I turned around, and I saw mountains. I wondered if they were the Grantsion mountains. They harbored a rebel sect of Zenkian. It was my only chance. I had heard rumors about the rebels, but I didn't know firsthand what they were like. But it seemed they were completely against raiding Earth and stealing humans. That was good enough for me, for now, but it was only a thought. I had no idea if the mountains I was walking toward were, in fact, the Grantsion mountains. But even if they weren't, it would be a good place to hide. I walked toward them, dragging my feet.
It was only a month ago that I was on Earth. I knew that the alien invaders known as the Zenkian were a threat. But it always seemed to happen in big cities; I never thought that I would be abducted by them.
Two years before, the invaders known as the Zenkian violently attacked Earth in several cities. They made it known that they were not friendly and that they were there to steal our resources. They eventually wanted to conquer and take over Earth. It was a frightening thing, but after two years, it had become the new normal. There were often raids by these alien invaders and battles with our military fighting them off. But we were no match for their technology or their actual soldiers. They were skilled in battle, and we even heard rumors that they made sport of battle, like Gladiator games. Something that I now knew to be true after living among them for a month. They called those games the War Games, and they were just as brutal as you might think.
But on Earth, I had no real knowledge of any of this, other than what I saw on the news. I lived in Minnesota in a very small mining town. I never thought that I would have to worry about it. But one day the aliens came to our area. They wanted the silver from the mines. It was a massacre. They caught us off-guard; we were not heavily guarded the way the cities were. They killed many humans, and they took a few human females, about twenty-six of us. I was one of them.
I was given as a slave to the commander known as Jenku Vade. He was fierce and an angry Zenkian, and from the moment he took me, I planned my escape. For three weeks I planned it. And now that I was away and I had hope, I couldn’t let myself go back. This kept me going as I walked across the rocky surface toward the mountains. It was my only hope.
It was growing dark, and I was growing tired. The sun was setting on the horizon behind the mountains, and there were two moons in the sky.
“I need to sit down, just for a few minutes,” I said to myself. I was in a vulnerable spot. I was on a flat rock; it was brown, and I was wearing a white shredded dress. But I needed to stop.
I sat down, and before I knew it, I was lying down. The exhaustion was getting to me, and as soon as I stopped moving, it took over my body. I didn't realize how dehydrated I was. I closed my eyes for just a few seconds.
“Where did you come from?” I heard a deep voice say.
I gasped. I was startled, but I could hardly move to sit up and be in shock like a normal reaction. I opened my eyes. Hovering over me was a very tall Zenkian soldier. He had long black hair that was shaggy and blowing in the wind. He had a full, dark beard. He was very strong and had light brown eyes as he looked down at me. Had I been caught?
“Who are you? Where did you come from, human?” he said.
I tried to answer. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I closed my eyes again, and before I knew it, I was passed out. That was the last thing that I could remember.
Chapter 2
Commander Trent Qoln
“Trent, we have to stay on top of the Waysaw Zenkian. Now that they have been stealing resources from Earth, they are stronger than ever,” my superior, Leader Nizok said to me.
“I agree, Leader; I am doubling the patrols of the outer lands. I am about to join the patrol myself,” I said as I stood in his chambers inside the Grantsion mountains.
“Good. I like having one of my high commanders out on patrol. You might see things that others might overlook,” he said in praise of my skills.
“That is why I like to go myself,” I said.
“We will stay on high alert. It is possible that they could attack us in retaliation for our last attack on them, no matter how necessary that was. This is what war looks like. It is constant, and can happen at any time, a large battle or a small one. We must be ready for all of it,” Leader Nizok said.
“I understand, Leader. I'm going on patrol now.” I bowed to him and left his sight.
Half an hour later, I was in my speeder patrolling the outer lands between the mountains we called home and the Waysaw City where our enemy lived. We had rebelled against them almost a decade before when they started to conquer other planets and we were opposed to it. Now, we were full-on enemies. I don’t know how the divide happened as I was just a youngling at the time. But it happened that the red sect of Zenkian started to act differently. The blue Zenkian, like myself, were against this new hunger for power that the red Zenkian had suddenly acquired. It eventually led to a split between the blue and the red Zenkian. We rebelled and left the city and had been living in the Grantsion Mountains ever since. It was a solid fortress, and our battalions were just as many as the Waysaw.
As I patrolled, I looked down at the ground passing underneath me. I was looking for hidden Waysaw speeders or scouts. They would often send a scout out before they attacked us. The scout would alert them to how many soldiers we had on guard. If I could find a scout, then I knew they were planning something. But as I scanned the ground, there was something that stood out. It was just a flash of white.
“What the hell was that?” I said to myself.
I turned my speeder around and went back. I slowed down and hovered over the white pile on the rock.
“Is that? It can't be. What
would a human be doing way out here?”
Was this a trap of some sort? I landed my speeder away from her under a rock ledge. I stepped out of my speeder armed to the teeth. I looked around waiting to see if I could hear any activity. If this was a trap, then she was the bait, and as soon as I went to her, I would be caught. I heard a moan escape her mouth. She seemed to be in real peril. I slowly stepped over to her. I was surprised by what I saw.
In her shredded white dress, she was dirty and looked like she had been walking far. Her red hair was messy around her head, and there was dirt smudged on her pale face. Her eyes were closed, and she did not seem to be in a good way. I leaned down, kneeling over her. Her eyes fluttered open. I asked who she was and how she got out there, but she did not respond. Her mouth opened and her lips trembled as though she were trying to respond, but she did not have the energy to. She closed her eyes and passed out.
“Shit. I have to get you to base, whoever you are. You need medical attention,” I whispered to her. As I kneeled down to pick her up, I noticed the tattoo on her wrist. It was several lines, and I knew exactly what it meant. She was a Waysaw slave. Though that did not shock me at all. The only humans on this planet were brought here by the Waysaw Zenkian. So I knew that she must be from the city. I picked her up and scooped her into my arms, carrying her to my speeder. She moaned again and rested her head against my chest. She felt light as a feather and was very petite. “She must only be about five feet,” I thought. She was frail and seemed very fragile, like most humans were. I laid her in the seat next to mine. I got in my speeder and raced back to my home in the mountains. But there was a very big problem.
We Grantsion Zenkian were forbidden to have any relations with humans. We were very proud that we were the opposite of the Waysaw Zenkian. We had no interest in the resources from Earth or stealing their humans. Once we knew the humans existed, the superiors passed a law that we were not able to have any relations with them. This was done to prevent any Grantsion Zenkian that might take it upon himself to steal a human from Earth for his own benefit. It was a law that we all obeyed. So bringing the human home would be going against this law. But what could I do? I couldn't leave her out there to die. That was not the Grantsion way. We helped those in need, and that was what I had to do. I would just have to do it in secret.
I landed on the rock ledge outside my home. It was completely dark now, and I was glad for the cover of night. I picked up the human and carried her inside my home. She moaned again in pain, but she did not wake up. I poured some water into a cup and pressed it against her lips.
“It is water. Here; drink,” I said.
This made her stir. Her mouth opened but her eyes did not. I poured some water into her mouth, and she drank it. I did it a few more times until she could not drink anymore. She laid down on her back again in the bed.
“You are safe here. Can you hear me? You are safe; do not worry. I am going to go get a doctor for you. Just stay here,” I said.
I left my home, locking the door behind me. I walked out into the trails that went up and down the mountain on different levels. We made our home along the mountainside. This made it very safe from invasion. I went down to the home of Malaya. She was a doctor and a very good friend. I had known her since we were children. I knocked on her door.
“Trent? It is always good to see you; please come in,” she smiled.
“Hello, Malaya,” I said, walking in. I closed the door behind me.
“Do you have company?” I asked.
“No, I am alone,” she smiled again.
“I need your help, but I need it in secret,” I said.
“That sounds very serious. Of course you can have my help; what is it?” she asked, gently putting her hand on my arm.
“I need your expertise to help a wounded. They need medical attention now,” I said.
“Oh my, I will get my things,” she said moving to the back of the room. She grabbed a bag and draped it across her body.
“We must go quietly and say nothing of it if we run into friends along the way,” I said to her in a very serious tone. She nodded her head in agreement.
I led her out of her home, and we walked to mine. I unlocked the door and let her in.
“She is on the bed,” I said.
“She?” Malaya asked as she walked over to the bed and then she gasped. “Is that a…?”
“That is why I need your secrecy. I found her lying in the outer lands. I think she must have escaped from the city. She must have been running for miles. I think she exhausted herself to the point of danger. Will you please see to her?”
“We can get into a lot of trouble for this,” Malaya said.
“I know. If we are caught, I will not mention your name. If they know, I will say that I forced you to. Do not worry; you will not get in trouble for this,” I said.
“I don't want you to get in trouble for this either,” she said.
“Malaya, please. There is no time to waste or argue,” I said looking at the human.
Her shoulders dropped, and she sighed. “Fine, for you, I will do it.”
She put her bag beside the human and opened it. She began to use various devices to check on her. I walked back and forth waiting.
I had so many questions. But, Malaya was right; we could get into a lot of trouble for this. Of course, I would not let her get in trouble, and I would take the fall, but this was very dangerous territory. What was she doing so far from the city? If she had escaped, then she was very strong to get so far on her own.
“I don't know much about humans, but she does seem a lot like us. As far as I can tell, she is going to be fine. She just needs a lot of water and perhaps a little bit of salt, just a pinch in a large cup of water. She needs enormous amounts of sleep as well,” Malaya told me.
I nodded and went to put a pinch of salt in a very large cup of water. I put it by the bedside.
“As soon as she wakes, I will give it to her. What else?” I asked.
Malaya seemed to be in deep thought as she looked at her device that she had scanned the human with. Then she said, “Do you really think she came from the city?”
“I know that she did. Look at this,” I said showing Malaya the human's arm. “That is a slave tattoo. They all get them to show who owns them.”
“I see. I think that she will be fine once she gets plenty of sleep. But you do know that you cannot keep her, Trent. You will have to tell the superiors at some point so that they can decide what to do with her. Maybe they will even help her get back to Earth,” Malaya said.
“That is a good point. I will think it over. First, I will do nothing until she is healthy again. She shall stay here so that she can recover. Can you promise that you will speak of this to no one?” I asked as I put my hand on her shoulder. She looked at my hand and put her hand on top of it.
“I promise. I told you I would keep your secret. We are in this together,” she said.
“Will you come back tomorrow to check on her?” I asked.
“Yes, I will,” she said as she grabbed her stuff and left.
I watched over the delicate human with the red hair all night. I could not take my eyes off of her. She fascinated me.
Chapter 3
Samantha Gaines
I opened my eyes. I looked around. I was in an unfamiliar environment. I quickly sat up in a panic. Had I been found by the Zenkian and they took me back to the city? I looked around, and things looked different than what I had seen in the city. Where was I?
“You are awake. It is all right; you are safe,” I heard a deep voice say. I turned around to see the Zenkian that I had seen out on the rocks. I could see him clearly now. He was blue-skinned and this let me know right away that he was a rebel. His long dark hair was down to his shoulders. He moved toward me with his tall body and strong shoulders. I flinched. He put up his hands up as though to show me he meant me no harm.
“It is all right. You do not need to be scared. I will not harm you. My n
ame is Commander Trent Qoln,” he said.
“Commander Trent Qoln?” I asked. It couldn’t be. How was it possible that the sworn enemy of Jenku Vade had found me?
“Yes, that is right,” he said.
I was silent as I looked at him. He was the opposite of Jenku Vade in every way, and I understood why they were enemies. But this was so unreal; what were the chances? Trent gave me a look and I did not want to linger on his name or he would know.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“You are in the Grantsion mountains. I am a Grantsion Zenkian. I found you out in the outlands and brought you here for medical attention,” he said.
“The Grantsion mountains? I made it,” I said.
He looked at me confused. “You were trying to come here?”