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 name 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?”
“I did not know where else to go.”
“You ran away from the Waysaw Zenkians. You are a human slave,” he said.
“I am. Please do not send me back there,” I pleaded.
“I will not do that. We do not think the same way as the Waysaw Zenkian do. We are different here,” he said.
“So I have heard; that was why I came in this direction. I had no other place to go. I do not know your strange planet. I was brought here against my will, as I'm sure you know.”
“I do know. I apologize for what you have suffered by the hand of the Zenkian in the city. As I said we are not like the Waysaw,” he said gently.
“Here, this is some water with a pinch of salt. The doctor ordered that you should drink it when you woke; it will help hydrate you,” he said moving toward me and getting the cup off the table next to me. He handed it to me. I smelled it; I smelled nothing. I took a small sip; it was salty water, just as he said. He looked at me and arched an eyebrow at me, amused at the fact that I was not trusting him.
“Why would you not trust me? If I were going to harm you, wouldn't I have done it while you were passed out? If I wanted to drug you, I could have done so. If I wanted to kill you, I could have done so,” he said.
“That is true,” I said. I drank the water. He grabbed the cup and then poured me some more water from a glass container. Then he set it down beside me.
“I have told you my name, human; will you not do the same for me?” He asked.
“My name is Samantha Gaines,” I said to him. My eyes grazed over his large blue-skinned body. He was wearing a tight gray uniform, almost like the ones the Waysaw wore. I guess it made sense since they were once the same. It was very fitted on his strong, broad chest and hard abs. I turned my eyes from him and looked at my own tattered and shredded white dress. It was a slave dress meant to be pleasing to the eye, not something to swim in and cross vast lands.
“I will fetch you a new dress. I must ask you to stay here and do not wander off. I could get into great trouble if anyone found out that you were here. You see the Grantsion Zenkian do not allow any interactions with humans. I am breaking the rules by having you here, but I could not leave you out there,” he said.
“Thank you for taking the chance then. I greatly appreciate it. I would be dead if you had left me out there to die,” I said really feeling some appreciation toward this blue alien.
“You are welcome. There is one that I have entrusted with this secret. She is a doctor, and she has already seen to your well-being. I didn't have a choice since I did not know what kind of condition you were in. Her name is Malaya; you can trust her. I am going to go catch her and send her to you while I go find new clothing for you. Again, you must remain here,” he said.
“I understand,” I said. He walked out of the room. I was surprised at how much I actually trusted him. I think it was because if he were brutal, he would not be hiding it. I had been face to face with brutal with Commander Jenku Vade, and this blue alien soldier was not like that at all. Even his eyes looked kinder.
I stood up and looked around. It was very different than the rooms of the Waysaw, yet similar in many ways. The technology was the same, only the room itself was obviously carved into the rock. Instead of glass walls, there were rock walls, except for the side that faced out. I walked to it and looked out the massive window. Outside was a large ledge of rock almost like a balcony. There was a speeder parked there; I assumed it was the property of Trent. I was grateful to him. Again I thought about how he seemed very different almost immediately; there was a kindness to him that I was not used to form the Waysaw Zenkian in the city. Why was I thinking of this Zenkian named Trent and his kindness over and over again?
As I looked out the window, I wondered if I truly was safe. I wondered if the Waysaw would look for me far and wide. Would they send someone to see if there were any humans in these mountains? I had so many questions, and I didn't know how to obtain the answers. Maybe this could just be a pit stop, and Trent would know a better hiding place for me somewhere else on the planet. Or maybe they could help me get back to Earth? That would be the greatest thing of all.
A few minutes later, the door opened. I froze in place, not knowing if this was someone that did not know the secret.
“Samantha?” I heard a female voice say. I came out of the corner where I was standing into the middle of the room. There was a very tall Zenkian female. She was obviously a Grantsion Zenkian. She looked just like them with the same blue skin. She had brown hair that was up in a braided bun. She had blue eyes, and she was actually quite beautiful. I was impressed by her elegant demeanor and grace when she walked toward me.
“Yes, I am Samantha,” I said.
“My name is Malaya. Trent sent to me to you to check on you. I am a doctor here,” she said as she looked at me up and down. I suddenly felt like I was trashy due to the torn clothing.
“I understand. Thank you for your help,” I said.
“Please sit down so that I may look you over,” she said as she put her bag down. She pulled out a few devices, some that I had seen before in the city. She used them to check me and my condition. I felt fine, now that I had rested, but I did wonder if she knew. Was my secret about to be exposed?
“Samantha, I am no expert on humans. In truth, I have only examined one before you, several years ago, but you seem to be in good health. You were only suffering from exhaustion and dehydration, but that is all,” she said.
I sighed in relief. “Thank you, doctor. That is good to know.”
“And your child seems to be fine as well,” she said.
I looked at her with wide eyes. I had been busted.
“I, it is just that...” I tried to say something but I couldn't.
“Is that why you ran away?” she asked.
“Please do not say anything. I mean the Zenkians no harm. I cannot have my child raised by the monsters there in the city. I just want to go back to Earth,” I pleaded with her. I could not have this secret out. If Jenku Vade found out that I was with child, he would definitely not let the hunt for me ever stop. He would want this child. I would be punished, of course, and probably locked in a cell. This female Zenkian held too much valuable information, and she was a stranger to me. Perhaps it would have been better to still be out there in the outlands wandering around. At least then no one knew my secret but me.
“I think that going back to Earth is an excellent idea. You put Trent in a lot of danger by being here. I would not like to see him suffer because he helped a strange human. The sooner you leave here, the better,” she said with a tone of anger that let me know she really cared about Trent. Perhaps they were even lovers; I didn't know anything about him or her or where I was.
“I understand,” I said not wanting to egg her on in a fight.
“Do you? Our superiors do not even allow us to communicate with humans. Everything of Earth is forbidden to us; Trent is breaking the law by harboring you. I am helping and would be punished as well, though not as severely as him. I don't know or care who the father of this child is, but you should make plans to leave this place before it is obvious that you are with child.” She stood up and grabbed her things. I could tell that she was very angry. I did not want to stir the pot considering I had no leverage or knowledge. I stayed quiet as I watched her walk out. She was obviously pissed, and I figured it was much more than just my presence that was making her angry; she had feelings for Trent.
There was something about her that I did not trust. But I had no say in that. Trent trusted her to keep the secret that I was there in his home, so that was all that mattered. I did not see this female Zenkian betraying Trent, so that was good enough for now, and for now, I was happy. I had successfully escaped from Jenku Vade in the city. But I was still on his planet, and I would feel safer if I could get back to Earth. But how could I do that? These rebels did not want anything to do with humans. They did not go to Earth the way the Waysaw did on a routine basis. But maybe there was a place on this planet that I could hide and live in peace, with my child, or some other planet. I just needed to get far away from Vade. I hoped that Trent would help me in my mission. If he didn't, I would be on my own, but that would be no different than before. I was strong. I could do this.