Chapter 3
SHIA HETON
I could not believe what had happened! I felt like this had to be a dream. That insufferable jerk, Commander Spaunok, was a cold-blooded killer! He had no empathy at all for humankind. He made me watch while they destroyed over ten humans on a priceless space station. I didn't know how many had escaped in escape pods, but I hoped it was many more than I originally thought. It was true what they said: the Corillions were ruthless animals. I hated every single one of them, but I especially hated their leader, Duron Spaunok.
Now Alexis and I were the only survivors on this doomed voyage that was supposed to be a peaceful scientific research mission. But the Corillion did not see it that way. They were like pirates in space, conquering and taking whatever they could, and right now, that was Alexis and me.
This could not end well. We were locked up as captives, and it was a heavy reality to live.
“What are we going to do? No one will come for us. It is too risky,” Alexis cried on the bed.
Alexis was not able to control her anguish like I was. She cried constantly, and I constantly had to console her. But I completely understood. I was also frightened.
“Let’s just take this day by day, Alexis. We have to. Who knows, maybe this ship is on its way to Earth to collect more females and then we will have a chance to escape then,” I lied to her.
“Really? You really think so?” she asked.
“Sure, anything is possible when you have no facts at all. We can’t think that whatever is happening might not be in our favor; maybe it’s a hundred percent in our favor,” I said to her, trying to give her some light at the end of the tunnel. But I knew better than this. From what I saw, Commander Duron Spaunok was ruthless and brutal. He was unlike anything I had ever met or seen. It wasn't just his alien physical features; it was something else. It was the way he stared at me, as though he could see right through me. I tried to be brave in his presence, but the way he looked at me made me feel like I was just a trembling little girl.
He was dark on the inside; that much was obvious through his cruel actions. His attractive form on the outside could not hide that part of him. A part of me thought that Alexis and I were being taken to be his mates. He had captured us and he was taking us somewhere.
Obviously, we all knew that the Corillion aliens captured women from Earth to mate with them, but we didn’t understand why. Why did they not mate with their own Corillion females? I assumed this was going to be our destiny as well. So I was surprised when he ventured into our locked cell to tell us to get dressed and freshen up because we were being taken to someone. When I asked who this person was, he simply ignored me as he had been since he’d first laid eyes on me.
Now I was feeling extreme anxiety at not knowing where we were being taken and to whom.
"Where are they taking us, Shia?” Alexis asked me, trembling.
"I do not know, Alexis. But for now, it is best that we do as they say. Here, I will help you put the dress on,” I said, handing her one of the dresses.
"I am scared,” she said to me.
"I am too, but it is important that we stick together and stay focused. Let's gather as much information as we can. Do not forget we are scientists. Do not forget that we can find a way out of here. All we need is information. We need to learn their ways and then we can escape. For now, let us not make them angry. They seem to be very brutal,” I said to her as I pulled the blue dress over her head. It was made of some material I had never encountered before, but it was similar to silk. It tied around her back and then flowed all the way down to the floor.
Then I put on the green dress and Alexis tied it behind my back. We looked at each other and realized just how ridiculous this was; we started to laugh a little. It felt good to laugh.
"I never thought I would end up here when I agreed to join the space station mission,” she said to me.
"Nope. Nor did I. Yet here we are. Let us think of it as our own experiment. We are merely spectators in a science experiment, watching the ways of the Corillion in order to report back,” I laughed.
"Yes, I suppose that is how we must think of it,” she said with a little more confidence than I had heard from her since we had been captured. It was helping.
A couple of hours later, we found ourselves being escorted by Commander Duron Spaunok off the ship and into a massive base. I could barely see outside through small, circular windows as we passed down the long and narrow hallway. The terrain outside looked like a desolate moon. I did not see any trees or water. No wonder they wanted Earth. Then we were led into a massive room. There, sitting on what I could only describe as a throne, was a young Corillion warrior.
He had light-brown hair down to his shoulders, with light-brown eyes. The blues scales ran down his right side and were easy to see since he did not wear a shirt. He was wearing the same leather like trousers as the rest of the Corillion warriors, with various weapons draped on his belt. His face was very attractive with a strong square jaw. If I weren’t so afraid of him, I would have thought of him as attractive. But it was hard to find the outside attractive when you knew the inside was ugly.
"Commander Duron Spaunok, you have done well. You are just in time," he said as he stood up from the throne. He stared at Alexis first, letting his gaze go up and down her body. I felt the need to protect her. I wanted to jump in front of her and tell him to go to hell. But I stayed in place, listening to every word they said.
"It is an honor to serve you, my leader, Baradur Spaunok. I am honored to bring you these human female gifts," Commander Duron Spaunok said in return. It made me angry that he called us gifts, as though we had no control over our own lives. I wanted to scream and shout, but I knew that I could not. It did not escape my attention that they were both called Spaunok. They must be related in some way. Perhaps they were brothers, or cousins. It was obvious that this Baradur Spaunok was the leader here, as he was addressed as that way, but also sat on a throne.
The warrior stood still, staring at us as his eyes shifted from Alexis over to me. I tensed my entire body. I narrowed my eyes at him in hate. He sort of grinned, and then he looked at my hair. His eyes grew wide and I assumed they didn’t get many redheads around here. He then stepped down from the platform and onto the floor. He walked around us, examining us. I was so very angry. How dare he treat us like livestock! He stopped beside me and put his fingers through my hair. I restrained myself to not slap his hand away; the last time I slapped a Corillion, people died. I bit my tongue and clenched my fists.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Commander Duron Spaunok lean in and whisper something in the leader’s ear. This warrior leader, which Duron called Baradur, looked directly at me. Oh no; what had he told him? I clenched my fists tighter and I tried to hold my tongue. I turned my head directly at them and narrowed my eyes at Baradur and Duron, and I could not hold back any longer.
"Don't stare at me like that! I'll slap that stare off your face if I have to,” I said in restrained anger.
Baradur looked at Duron and then he laughed and said, “I believe you are right about that one. I will take the other as my mate. Lock up this one until I decide what is to be done with her. I trust you, Commander Duron Spaunok, to take her into your quarters as a captive. I do not trust to leave her in the presence of the rest of the Corillion warriors. She is under your care. Be cautious with her, as she seems like she might try to kill you, like you said. But be warned that this is not permission to take her as a mate. Is that understood?”
"Understood, my leader,” Duron said as he saluted him. Then he wrapped his hand tightly around my arm and pulled me away from Alexis.
"No! Where are you taking her?! I demand that you release me! I demand that you release her!” I shouted.
"Shia?” Alexis said with fear in her voice as she stood there shaking.
"Do not be afraid, my delicate female. You will not be harmed. You will be treated like a queen,” I heard Baradur telling her as Duron pulled me away.
He yanked me through the halls of the base. It was a maze of hallways and there was no way that I would ever understand how to get back to Alexis. The base was a sprawling complex, and in my rage and adrenaline, I could not make sense of anything. Then he stopped at the deadend of a hallway.
“Get your hands off of me! Where is Alexis?” I shouted.
“Shut your mouth, human!” he roared at me. He pressed his hand against a screen on the wall and a door opened. He pushed me in and I fell to the ground inside another room.
"You don't have to be so rough! Where would I run off to?” I said to him, giving him a dirty look. I looked around at the surroundings. I was in an apartment of sorts. “What is to be done with her? What is to be done with Alexis? You cannot do this to us! It is wrong!”
"You should worry about what's to be done with yourself,” he said in a stern voice as he moved over to a table and poured some liquid into a glass. He shot it back quickly. I got up from the floor and moved toward him putting only a foot between us.
"What?! Why do you say that? What the hell is going on here?” I asked.
I was so angry that I could barely catch my breath. I was standing there in this slinky green dress and it only made me feel that much vulnerable. He pulled the glass from his lips. He was tall, looming over me. His hair fell over his face a little. His blue eyes were glassy, a shade of blue that reminded me of Earth when you looked at it from space. They matched the color of the scales down the right side of his body. But I tried not to let my eyes waver from his. I did not want him to know that my curiosity in this race was making me want to look over every inch of his body. But my curiosity was specifically scientific, and nothing more, I hoped.
He tilted his head and let his eyes roam over my hair and down my face. I was breathing hard. I could not help it. His eyes caressed my bare shoulders. I felt like I was naked, because Duron looked at me up and down, taking his time. I suddenly felt my body responding to his stare; I felt desirable. It felt wrong! It felt very wrong! I knew I should not be feeling excited and aroused. He was a cold-blooded killer of humans! Yet there was something about the danger of the moment. There was something about not knowing what was going on. There was something about being in this male-dominated world. It was intoxicating. I felt more feminine than I ever had. Soldiers of Earth were also ruthless killers, so how as this any different? But as soon as I felt that way, I forced myself to stop. It was wrong!
"Ask no more questions, human female. Just do what I say and you will stay safe, for now,” he said as he slammed down his cup and then walked out of the living quarters.
"Wait!” I shouted after him as the door closed on me. I pressed every button I could to try to open the door, but I was locked in. I was a prisoner. I was officially alone and a captive of a strange alien warrior race: a Corillion captive. What was I going to do?
I was infuriated as I walked around the living quarters. I was extremely sad to lose my fellow scientists and crew on the space station. I wondered if any of them had sent a signal to Earth to let them know that we had been attacked. Would any of them know that we were missing, Alexis and I? Would it matter? It's not like they could come for us.
I walked into the center of the living quarters and it was surprisingly very familiar. There was a sitting area and a sleeping area. I swallowed hard as I realized there was only one bed. Where was I going to sleep? What would Duron expect of me? I looked up at the ceiling and was surprised to see a very large skylight. It looked out into the blackness of space. At least I could have a feeling of not being locked in and look at my precious space. I walked around, placing my hands on various things and controls.
I noticed a panel on the far wall. I pressed a button and part of the wall slid open to reveal a window. I gasped at the view. Duron must be a very high ranking commander in order to have a view like this, I thought.
It looked out onto the barren moon landscape. There were no buildings just a view of the light brown dusty environment. Looking out this window made you feel like you were the only creature on this moon. It was very beautiful. If I was going to be stuck in this place, at least I had a nice view to look at.
I moved over to the counter where Duron had poured himself something to drink. I smelled the various blue and green liquids; they all smelled very strong.
"Smells like vodka. Good, I’m going to need to calm down if I’m going to get through this. It’s a miracle you are alive after not holding your tongue,” I said out loud to myself as I held up a green liquid. I poured a small amount into the cup and took a sip.
"Oh my God, that is freaking strong!” I coughed. Then I poured myself another and took it over to a bench to stare out the window. This was unbelievable. Here I was, staring out at an alien planet as captive, with some unknown alcohol in my hand.
Hours went by and I drank more and more of the liquid, trying to numb my anger and sadness. Before I knew it, I was passed out asleep on the bed. I didn't even hear Commander Duron Spaunok come in. But I woke up to him standing and hovering high over me. He looked very, very, tall from my vantage point on the bed. My breath caught in my throat, because for a second, I forgot where I was. Waking up to see this formidable figure alien warrior in front of me was shocking. I quickly sat up.
"I fell asleep,” I said to him.
He growled at me as he said, “You do not sleep there. You sleep here!” he said as he moved over to a back wall and pushed a few buttons. A door opened. I walked over to it and peeked in. There was an entire bedroom, including a washroom. There was a small window with a view of the moon terrain. He pushed me in and locked the door behind me.
"Jerk!” I shouted as I tripped over my feet. Why was he so damn angry all the time? How was I supposed to stay in his presence? He couldn’t even have a conversation without yelling at me. But this was good, this new sanctuary. I now had my own space. I could stay in here and away from him.
I walked over to the bed and fell back to sleep. I didn't trust this Corillion jerk, but why did I want him to treat me better? That didn't make any sense. For some reason, I wanted his approval and respect. That stuff should not matter to me, and yet it did. I told myself it was because if I could get him to have a conversation with me, then at least I could get some information from him.
Over the next few days, he came and went while I stayed locked up in the living quarters. I had plenty to eat and drink, and absolutely nothing to do. It grew very boring, and I worried about Alexis. Was she being treated well? What had become of her? I longed just to see her or to have any sort of communication with her whatsoever.
But Commander Duron Spaunok would not answer any of my questions. He spent very little time with me. He seemed very irritated by my presence and was avoiding me at all costs. He would just stare at me and then become angry, and I did not know why. I had not tried to run away, and I had been accommodating to his moody arrogance. I had not slapped him again or done anything to make him angry. Yet he was always, always angry or frustrated about something. But even in that anger, I found myself checking out his body more and more. It must just be a side effect of feeling lonely, I told myself.
Finally, after five days of doing absolutely nothing as his prisoner, I’d had enough. I was going to confront him and demand that he give me some sort of information about what was going on. So as I sat there, staring out at the moon in the living area of his living quarters, I was very nervous. I had an entire speech ready to bombard him with. But I was so nervous, I did not know if I could get through it. So I took a little bit of the green liquid in order to calm myself. I drank just a little. Half an hour passed, and I drank a little more. Then I drank a little more again. Before I knew it, I was full of courage; actually, I was drunk, but it didn't register like that for me.
The door swished open. Commander Duron Spaunok walked in with all of his formidable features on display. I stood up immediately from the bench. He looked at me as I lost my footing and sat back down. He furrowed is eyebrows at me.
"Shia,” he said.
It was the first time that he had called me by my name instead of human female. But that didn't matter; I was still going to give him a piece of my mind.
"Commander Jerk! I demand you to answer some of my questions. This has been completely insane. Don't you see that?!" I shouted at him. He just gave me a sideways grin.
"Oh! This is amusing to you, is it? What if this were you? What if you were the one that was taken against your will and locked up? How would you react to that?” I asked.
"That would never happen to me,” he said, crossing his arms.
I stomped over to him in my mad drunkenness and pointed my finger at him, shaming him. “Oh, you and your sexy arrogance! Of course you would never be captured; you're such a big, fierce warrior, aren't you?” I said in as mean of a way as I could muster.
He just laughed at me and said, “Do you want to get to the point here? I have a lot of work to do."
"My point is… My point is…” I said, not remembering my point at all. I just stared at him. I really had nothing to say, even though I had everything to say. But he was such a distraction.
"That's what I thought,” he said, moving past me. “Stay out of the green formula. You clearly can’t handle it.”
"Where is she?! Where is my friend, Alexis? What has been done to her? Is she alive?” I shouted.
He turned to me and said, “Of course she is alive. She is living with Baradur as his wife and forever mate. She is being treated with the utmost respect and care. She is living lavishly as the partner of our tribal leader.”
"What? Why?” I asked.
"Because that is why I brought both of you here for: for him. He needs a human female mate, or he will die," he said.
I sat down, sad, confused, and drunk.
"Is she happy?” I asked him.
"How would I know that?” he said to me.
I began to cry. “I need to see her, please. I am begging you, Duron. I just need to talk to her to see if she is all right. It is all that I ask,” I said, unable to control my tears.
"I do not like to see you cry. You are stronger than this. I do not want to watch this,” he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards my room. He opened the door and pushed me in as he said, “You have had too much of the formula. Take a shower and sober up.” The door closed.
I was drunk and angry with myself. Why did I drink too much of the liquid that he called the formula? It ruined everything. I was going to have a serious talk with him.
It didn't matter. I just needed more information about what was going on because I was going to go crazy if I didn't know. I had the mind of a scientist, and because of that, I needed to know what was going on in order to make sense of it. I needed to know more about the Corillion and why I was there. He said that Alexis and I were brought here to be the forever mate of his leader Baradur, but why? Why us? Were we just randomly chosen? I needed to know more, and I needed to know everything. Why did he say that his leader would die if he did not mate? None of that made sense to me.