Ruby’s spaceship left earlier than she had planned. She was still at the bazaar when the captain blew the first horn. She rushed to the dock a little panicked she would miss it before it took flight. The large ship was the only one going to Sarta and if she missed it, there would be three days before she could take the next one. The deck was set up like a ship's deck to play on the ocean theme, it was wooden and crowded with people saying goodbye.

She took the narrow planks two at a time moving fast so she could make it in time. It wasn't until she got to the ship she realized it was all unnecessary. There were many people still in line waiting to board with their tickets and they turned to look at her like she was insane.

Once on board, she sank down into her seat. The glass sealed around the ship which dunked into the ocean. It took tourists under the sea before it took off. It was one of the extras of taking a ship from Manta Ray. As it dipped down there were sea creatures on every side. Some were behind glass she noticed, realizing they'd actually dipped down into a glass dome. She'd not noticed that when she was smaller. It was a good thing there was a glass dome as the large animal from earlier with the horn appeared to be ramming the dome. A little girl screamed and clung to her father. It was the same couple Ruby had seen get soaked. The woman reached over and patted the little girl as he rocked her. It was sweet.

A countdown started and the ship rocketed up out of the ocean and into space where the blues of the ocean turned into the black of the sky with stars on every side. Since the ship was mostly glass you could see more of the sky than ever before. It was like looking at a billion torches lighting the pitch black all around. Even though she'd seen it before, it was breathtaking.

She noticed there was a hammock next to the glass of the ship and moved towards it to lie back and watch the stars. She was glad not to be flying at that moment and decided just to enjoy the trip, maybe even nap. She'd been napping for a little while when she awoke to a commotion and rose up to see everyone looking out the window at something large and pulsing. It was a nebula, which shouldn't have been a big deal. On second glance though, there was something large in the middle of it. Something with flashing lights and it was headed out of the storm and right at them.

Instinctively, Ruby's hand went to her gun. Something was wrong. The voice of the Captain came over the speaker.

“Everyone please move to your seats and strap in, we will be raising the shields in a count of five.” The countdown started and those who were at the window scrambled back to their seats. Before the count got to three the large dark ship shot a single beam towards them and the ship seemed to freeze. The speaker shut down and static spread throughout the ship as the attacker got closer.

Ruby pulled her gun from her back holster and readied it in her lap. She sat still and watched as the ship hit the side of them hard. It didn't hurt it at all but the insides of the ship started to fall into chaos. People's bags were everywhere, some hitting others in the head. The straps around her chest bit into her painfully as the ship lurched forward. Screams from everywhere alerted her that some people hadn't gotten back to their seats. A kid slid by her as the ship leaned forward.

“Mawri,” a woman screeched, she leapt from her chair grabbing the kid and Ruby saw to her surprise her husband had a hold of her leg. He pulled the woman and child back up to him and Ruby recognized they were the same couple. He also had a gun and was holding it up. Nodding at her, he turned his attention back to the danger.

“Her strap snapped Charles, I had her tied down,” the mother was losing it. “She should have just been in my lap!”

“Sammie, it's okay. I got you, but you need to be calm now for Mawri, okay.”

The woman nodded and the ship righted itself again. She strapped herself and the child into a seat. Ruby prepared for whatever was next.

She noticed a large black hole now swirled in front of the ship and something was cracking the glass open. The suction from the portal started pulling things from the ship.

Large gray creatures were entering the ship.

She fired but it did no good, the Craintors she recognized from one of her brother's books were already on them and one touch from the creature would put you under. She struggled to unbuckle, but they were too fast. Just like it had dodged the bullet it raced towards her and put its hand on her head. Everything went black as she heard Sammie screaming, “shoot it again!”

The next thing she knew Ruby woke in shackles in the underbelly of a dark, dingy, foul-smelling ship. She could hear others near her, but it was so dark she couldn't see.

“Someone there? I can hear you, but I can’t see anything!” Ruby whimpered as she raised her shackled hands up to her swollen face. Her mouth tasted of dried iron, and she knew there was blood in it. She hissed when she touched the large lump on her head. They must have hit her after knocking her out. Bastards. She saw a dim glow next to her, someone had sat up and was glowing like her.

Then, as if someone finally answered her prayers, she saw a dim light directly to her right. It was someone else! She wasn’t alone. There were others here with her.

A Lingonian! Her brain woke up. What were the chances?

“How long have you been here? Do you know where we’re going?” Ruby whispered to the glowing being next to her.

“I’ve been down here for months. I listen to them when the monsters come by. I think we’re going to Hallaw. But I’m not sure.” It was a small girl, they had taken a child and she'd been there for months! It angered her to think of it. She was very articulate and couldn’t have been older than five, if she was that old.

“The prisoner planet!” She hated more than a bit that her mother had been right. Anger seeped into her voice mixed with a little fear. She felt the child jump and took deep breaths then remembered her gun and communication device. It had been with her when they were taken. She tried to reach around and find the gun to no avail. It had clearly been removed from her during capture. She saw her communication device lay at the girl's feet.

“What's your name?” She asked her soothingly.

“It's Rori, I miss my mommy. She lets me braid her hair.”

Ruby's heart broke and in that moment she wanted to get her back to her mother if she was still alive.

“Where is mommy?”

“Sarta, they took me from the mall. They took a lot of people from the mall. Some of them have their eyes closed.”

Ruby took that to mean they'd killed a lot of them. She hoped they didn't get her mother but the chances of that seemed slim.

“Daddy is at home though,” the little girl brightened and smiled up at her. Her eyes were starting to adjust to the low lighting and she could see her face now. She was missing one of her front two teeth and it just made her look even more adorable.

“Can you hand me the metal thing at your feet, Rori? You may have to toss it to me. Use your foot.”

The little girl reached towards it with her foot and kicked it at her. She was thankful her fingertips could get it, but she couldn't bring it to her mouth.

“Good girl! You did so well. Now let’s get you out of here,” Ruby said, and smiled in the dark. She pushed the button on it. “This is Ruby, is anyone there? We were attacked, and I’ve been kidnapped. Can someone, anyone, hear me?”

Just as Ruby thought she heard the communicator start to crackle, the ship came to a stop. One of the Craintors pushed the door open and she quickly put her foot over the communicator. A Craintor, taller than the ones who'd captured them, grabbed Ruby by the wrists. She kicked him in the legs hoping to hit a shin in the strange curled up legs. It made him angry and he backhanded her across the face. The touch was quick so she only felt lightheaded for a minute.

“Bastard!” Ruby mumbled as he unfastened her shackles from the pole, and dragged her up some stairs. She realized there were more cells than the one she had been in with Rori. There were hundreds of doors just like the one she'd just been grabbed from. He was careful not to touch her skin. Whatever they were going to do, they wanted her awake. He tossed her to another waiting Craintor and went back down to get Rori.

The one she'd been tossed at reached down and grabbed Ruby's hair. Ruby swung her feet at it, kicking it in the chest as she was lifted by her hair. Could they be on Hallaw already?

She wasn't sure but managed to bite the nasty creature before she passed out and hit the ground. When she came to she was being dragged by her feet and looking up into Rori's eyes. The little girl was slung over the back of the big ass dragging her. She decided to wait and see where they ended up.

They were taken off the ship and Ruby's head hit the ground painfully as she was dragged off the edge of it. Instinctively, she started to kick her legs which got her slung right over the alien's other shoulder. She grabbed Rori's hand and squeezed it.

Once they'd reached their destination, they were thrown on the ground. Ruby looked around and saw lots of her fellow travelers, and others she didn't recognize, being tossed down as well. The Hallaw inhabitants were handing large bags of currency to the Craintors and they were retreating.

The Hallaw grabbed them by the arms forcing them to stand and presented to another Hallaw guard standing nearby. He pointed between them and nodded, which Ruby took to mean they were saying they were the same. He touched his skin and pointed. She didn't understand the language but knew he was saying they both glowed. Ruby hoped that meant she'd be kept with Rori, she didn't want to lose sight of the child.

They were thrown into another holding cell and the illumination of their skin revealed three other people in the cell with them. Instantly angry that she'd been moved from one prisoner cell to another.

“Who are you?”

Surprisingly, she saw Sammie, Charles, and Mawri move forward so she could see their faces.

“Hi, I'm sorry. I've just been roughed up a bit.” She moved closer to Rori, who wrapped herself around her, squeezing her tightly. She tensed, realizing her ribs were badly bruised if not broken.

“I'm Ruby, this is Rori.”

“Sammie,” the woman said. Her voice was hoarse and Ruby assumed it was from screaming, “This is Charles and this adorable nugget is Mawri.”

She held the small girl to her chest and Ruby instantly felt for her. She was maybe two-years-old and with Rori, probably around four, they would have to be very careful how they got out.

“Okay, we're going to escape.”

Charles said, “Hell yeah. The bastards took my gun. What's the plan?”