“Do you think the insectoids have made it this far?” I had been looking forward, at the viewscreen, so I could see everything we were flying over.
He hesitated, and I looked at him. “They sent some of their troops over to the outpost. I heard the warriors did have to defend against a small attack. It seems they knew the exact location of the settlement, which tells me that they have been watching Zelaron 10 for quite some time.”
“Zelaron 10? Is that the name of the settlement?” I asked.
“No, that is the planet. I think they call their settlement, New Hope.”
“New Hope? That’s an interesting name for an outpost that is five months from your home planet.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the viewscreen. The rich and vibrant greens of the forest we flew over were very enticing. It reminded me of fae books I had read when I was in high school. The colors were so different from the trees back home. I felt like I had ended up in faerie or someplace like that. If I wasn’t so set on going home, I might like to stay here.
“I think it has to do with being so close to Earth. The leader of the outpost mated with a human. She may have named the place.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Was it just the one attack?” I almost whispered, as I thought about what it might be like to be in their settlement and be attacked by those mutant creatures.
“As far as I know, yes. We can ask them when we land. Are you nervous?” he put his hand on my leg and squeezed. It felt comforting so I let him keep his hand there.
"A little bit. I don't want to be attacked again by those bugs. They really freak me out. But I don't want to hide inside of the spaceship either." Part of me was being a chicken and I knew it. But another part of me wanted to stand up for myself and be strong. There was no way a weak person would be able to survive this planet. I would have to learn how to be more like Paris. She never seemed to be frightened and she certainly didn’t back down.
“That’s good. It isn’t healthy to hide from your fears. You need to tackle them head on.”
I smiled and thanked him for the pep talk. We kept quiet for the rest of the trip. It was a very companionable silence.
Once the outpost came into view, I got excited. The walls were made of some sort of metallic material that shined in the sunlight. There were parapets on all corners, and inside of them there were manned artillery guns. This settlement was more the size of a small city. They must have worked for years to create such a beautiful and safe place to live.
The walls had to be at least 25 feet high, and there were large gates on each side as well. They were all closed. We flew above the walls and into one side of the city that housed their maintenance bays. There were large metallic warehouses all along the side where we were headed. Two had artillery posts on top of them as well, but no one manned those at that moment. They must have been used in case of an aerial attack.
On the other side, I could see what looked like office buildings. They were four stories high and made of glass. It was the same material as the rest of the buildings and fences. I didn't notice any houses, though. So those offices might actually be apartments or condos. There were trees interspersed amongst the buildings, but other than those trees, there wasn't much color here. The buildings were all silver and glass. There wasn’t any color on them.
Once we stopped moving forward, we went down. It felt almost like an elevator going very fast. Like the elevator in the Empire State Building. I went there once with my family when I was in high school. The elevators moved so quickly my ears popped. It was a smooth ride, and almost as exciting as a roller coaster.
One year later, I was told that I was expected to marry Ben after college. From then on, we always vacationed together. His family never went anywhere without ours and vice versa. It was odd that we all spent so much time together, but my father was in business with Ben’s father. They must have wanted to keep the business in the families, and that was why we were expected to marry. I guess my dad will just have to wait for my sister to finish college.
Now that I thought about it, she may have had a crush on Ben this whole time. I never really cared that she did. I guess distance really does help put things into perspective.
My hands fumbled on the straps as I was too excited to get them off so I could go outside and look around.
Zelan laughed as he took them off for me. “You sound like a kid who is going to her first gtocheen.”
“Um, I don’t have a universal translator yet. What was that you said?” I asked.
“We need to get you one. Maybe as soon as we get back you can get one? All the women should start working on getting them. It will be much simpler if you do. A gtocheen is a park we take our kids to. They can play around with other kids and also go on rides. They have many different rides for different ages of kids. Even adults enjoy them.” He finally gave me a real smile. He must have been thinking of times he went with his family as a kid.
"That sounds like an amusement park. Back on Earth, we have lots of amusement parks all over the world. I can't wait to see what yours look like." I beamed from ear to ear thinking about riding alien roller coasters and 4D motion rides.
Zelan smiled and gave me a hug. “When we get home, I will take you to our biggest park. You will love it.”
I was so excited I didn’t even realize I had just let him hold me and make future plans for us until we were walking down the ramp holding hands. In order to keep from upsetting him again, I gently pulled my hand away so that I could point to something and ask what it was.
“Is that a warehouse or a business of some sort? Do they even have businesses here?” I pointed to a large building made from that shiny silver material.
“Yes, they have a few businesses here, but it is very different from Earth. They don’t make goods to sell. They make what they need to survive as well as what we might need when we stop to pick up goods or make deliveries.” We turned a corner and went deeper into the industrialized section.
“Usually, we stop here on our way to Earth and drop off a cargo hold full of supplies for them. On our way back we will stop for fresh food and water. They have their own fields here where they grow a lot of various fruits and vegetables in addition to the animals they raise.”
“Wow, this sounds like a really cool place. Will we get a tour?” I walked around with my attention on what was in front of me, head raised, and mouth open in awe.
I walked right into Aysiaer. “Oh, sorry about that. I was too busy looking up.” I quickly walked past him so as not to invite any conversation.
Chapter 8
A very tall man and woman walked out of what looked to be an office on the side of the landing pad we were on. “Commander Venay, it is good to see you again. I was very sorry to hear your ship was broken up in the crash. We have plenty of space here if your crew would like to stay with us. We even have fairly comfortable accommodations for your slaves. Much better than the prisons you keep them in on your ships.” He smiled as he looked at Paris and me.
“Thank you, Commander Croso. It is good to see you again. I am relieved that you were able to quickly deal with the Insectoids when they attacked you. I hope that our warriors can eradicate this planet of the bugs within a few days. Captain Mypo, may I introduce my mate, Paris.” He motioned for Paris, and she walked up to his side and smiled at the two officers.
The Commander was an imposing man who stood almost seven feet tall. He was a hybrid, like Venay. Where all aliens good-looking? Was it something in their genetic make-up? His violet eyes and dark brown hair added to his good looks. He also had a warrior’s build. His shoulders looked like that of a football player. They must have had wide doors in all of their buildings to allow for these large males to walk through.
The hard angles of his face told me he was tough, but his smile and the crinkles around his eyes gave him a softer look that made me think he had heart.
“Commander, Captain, it is nice to meet you both. I love your outpost so far. Would it be possi
ble to get a tour of the city? This is much bigger than what I was expecting. When Venay said it was a settlement, I was thinking of something from Earth. Maybe even wooden fences.” They all laughed.
Croso smiled and told Venay, “I like her.” Then he looked at me, “Yes, I would love to take you and your friend on a tour of our village. Sadly, I need to discuss a few things with Venay. Maybe the Captain would like to take you all around?” He looked over at her, and she nodded her head.
The Captain held herself very stiffly, like she was at some formal event or something. Maybe Commander Venay intimidated to her too. He seemed to frighten everyone, except for Paris.
Captain Mypo looked to Commander Venay, “Commander, will your guards be escorting your mate and her slave? Or should I provide warriors?”
That ticked me off! I was no one’s slave! I knew my face reflected my emotions because Paris took my hand and whispered to me, “Not now. Let’s get through this first.”
Zelan must not have liked it either, “Excuse me Captain, but Natalie is not a slave. She is my future mate.” He stood next to me and put his hand on my shoulder.
I looked up to him and smiled. Even though I didn’t like the idea of him claiming me as such, it would be nice to be treated decently while we were here.
Commander Venay looked at me with an arched eyebrow but didn't say anything.
“While we are here, I will be escorting her everywhere we go. You won’t need to worry about her.” Zelan said as he squeezed my shoulder.
The Captain’s look changed from a scowl to a smile with this announcement. She must not have liked the idea of a slave running around without supervision. Funny how once my status as a “mate” was confirmed it became fine. I have always hated segregation and discrimination. To see its manifestation here based on status instead of race, religion, or sexual orientation didn’t lessen my disgust. This was going to be an enlightening visit. I hoped we were able to see the local “slaves” and how they were treated here.
“Follow me, and we can begin our tour.” Mypo signaled for us to follow her, and the three of us did.
Captain Mypo was tall, but not quite as tall as the male warriors. She had to be close to six feet five inches. I wasn’t exactly sure. She had long dark brown hair with waves and she was a purebred alien. She was the first female alien I had seen. Zelan told me their women chose to stay home and take care of their children and households. How was it that the outpost had such a high-ranking female warrior?
Would I meet more female warriors here at the outpost? I hoped so.
Both the Commander and the Captain wore the same type of military garb as Venay and Zelan. They had black camo pants with tight pockets on the side. Their shirts were button up and black as well. Their rank showed on their collars, but I hadn’t yet learned what all they meant. Even though Croso and Venay were both Commanders, they looked to have different types of rank. Maybe they were in different branches of service?
Could the little stars on Venay’s collar mean he was in some sort of air force? Croso and Mypo both had little eagles on their collars. Did that mean an army of some sort? Croso had four eagles and Mypo had three. Which seemed to mean their level of rank.
Mypo wasn't a very good tour guide. Most of what she told us was how things were built and who did what. We stayed mostly in the industrialized part of town.
“Excuse me, Captain Mypo, will you show us the areas of town where everyone lives? I am especially interested in how you treat your humans.” I just couldn’t call them slaves. That term was starting to really grate on my nerves. Everyone had been using it way too much lately. The new warriors from Captain Montgomery’s ship had trouble calling us “humans,” even though Commander Venay’s crew had started using the term.
“Of course, we just have one stop to make on our way to the residential section.” She turned her back and took us in the direction of what looked like the office complex.
"I thought you might appreciate seeing our newest buildings. These were designed by a group of our…humans, who live and work here in New Hope." She sounded like she almost choked when she said humans. I swear she had to clear her throat after using that word.
“Captain, you have humans who work in offices? What type of jobs do they hold?” Now I was curious. This could be a good thing for humanity as a whole. Paris had some interesting ideas about working with the leaders of Earth. Maybe they could send some of our people here to work. We certainly have a lot of office workers who are currently not working, maybe this could be the answer to some of our unemployment issues.
“I imagine they do similar work here as they did back on Earth. We have secretaries, receptionists, even a few managers who are all human. I think most work in supply and acquisition positions.” She opened the glass door to a four-story building I had noticed on our way in today.
Inside looked just like office buildings back home. Tile floors, plants, although these looked real and not plastic, there were even some chairs, a sofa, and a table that housed some magazines. If I didn’t know I was on an alien planet, I would have sworn I was home on Earth. Although, the walls were made of that strange metal. It was a cross between glass and metal. It was almost translucent. It was as thin as sheet metal, but seemed much stronger. I touched the wall and pushed on it a little bit and it didn’t move at all. It didn’t even buckle under the pressure from my hand. That was the only thing that made me think alien. Even the receptionist was human.
“Clarissa, I have some guests with us today and will be taking them on a tour. Are there any areas we should avoid today?” The Captain asked the young lady manning the desk.
She stood up. “No Captain, the leadership is all out meeting with Commander Venay, I believe. None have returned yet." She looked over to us and asked, "Would you like something to drink? We have coffee, tea, and bottled water. All of it from Earth." Her smile was very pleasant and inviting. Strange, she acted as though she was just a regular human doing a normal job. I would have expected her to cower before the Captain or even Zelan. But she seemed comfortable.
Paris walked up to her and shook her hand. “Hi, I’m Paris. This is my friend Natalie and her mate Zelan. I would love a coffee, if you have some ready, with milk and sugar. Is that possible? I haven’t had any coffee in a while. Do you have flavored syrups too?”
Clarissa laughed and said, “Sorry, we only have regular coffee. But we do have cream and sugar. Why don’t you all come with me, and I can show you our coffee corner.”
Paris and I followed her while Zelan and the Captain followed us. “Paris, can you believe this? Real coffee! I thought I would never see this again! I can’t wait. Although, I do wish they had hazelnut creamer. That would make this perfect.” I almost did a happy dance I was so excited.
“I know what you mean, I wish they had peppermint creamer. But any coffee would be a treat for me. Venay must stock them with coffee and everything from Earth. Maybe I can talk him into picking up some of our favorites next time he goes to Earth!” We both giggled while walking to the coffee corner.
When the reality hit me about what I was laughing about, I instantly felt guilty for getting excited about Commander Venay going back to Earth to pick up supplies. It would also mean he was abducting more people.
Their coffee corner was more like a coffee room. I would have called it a break room. It had to be at least 30’ X 60’. There were tables and chairs in the middle of the room. On one side there were three refrigerators and a couple of cabinets. Another wall was entirely encompassed by a counter which featured a sink, three microwaves, and cabinets above and below. Whoever designed this room did it for humans.
There were even several big screen TV’s up on the walls. They were playing different movies, human movies. My eyes were wide open as I turned around and looked at everything in the room. I felt like I was home. This was where I belonged.
Zelan walked up to me and took my hand, “Do you like this place?”
“I love it! I
feel like I’m back on Earth.”
Clarissa handed me a mug of coffee. “That’s because a couple of our residents used to be architects back on Earth. They have designed several office buildings here and a few of their plans have even been shared with the homeworld. They’re making quite the name for themselves.” She beamed and looked to be quite proud of their accomplishments, as she should.
Paris went to add more sugar to her coffee. “You’re residents here? Not slaves?” She looked at Clarissa, who looked to the Captain.
"Go ahead and tell her. I think they might like this part," the Captain said. She smiled her first real smile and relaxed just a bit.
“A couple of years ago there was a revolt by the slaves, and we almost got away. But, Commander Croso made a deal with all of us. If we worked for them, like we did for our employers back home, we could be considered residents instead of slaves. He wanted us to work together to make this a better outpost.” Clarissa stirred her coffee and took a sip of the steaming nectar of the gods.
I was shocked. They had revolted and turned things around. This gave me hope for creating change once we made it to the homeworld. My mind was starting to think up new ideas and ways to change things for us.
Clarissa continued, “I think we did a really great job in the past few years. There are some more improvements in the works, but nothing like the office buildings. Back home, I was a receptionist for a big office building in downtown Denver. I really liked my job too. So, when we started talking about what we all used to do back on Earth, the leadership here decided that they could use some of those roles.” Clarissa shrugged her shoulders.
Paris interrupted her, “Did many die in your revolt?”
“No, actually. It was a very short-lived battle. Well, maybe battle is too strong of a term. The Commander was mated to a human. She left him and joined us. When most of us escaped from the compound, the Commander and the Captain came after us with troops. Most of whom had already mated with humans. It was more like a discussion and negotiation.” Clarissa would probably be a great person to speak with about ways to change things for good.
Worlds Collide Page 6