When Skylar regained consciousness, everything was plunged into darkness. A blindfold covered her eyes, her hands were tied behind her back, and a gag silenced her voice. The floor on which she lay was as cold as ice, while the surrounding air was damp and warm, creating a strange contrast. Muffled cries echoed all around as if she were surrounded by torture chambers. She was petrified, afraid to even move, fearing that would make the situation a reality. Regrets overwhelmed her as she lamented placing her trust in the extraterrestrials. She would have preferred to be back home on Earth. It was too late for regrets. Now, she had to prove to herself and these beings from another world what she was capable of. But she was not a fighter, just an ordinary woman.
A powerful hand grabbed her arm and lifted her abruptly, eliciting a whimper. Someone spoke behind her, but their words were muffled and unclear. Skylar couldn't care less; she was already frightened enough. She was pushed forward, almost dragged. She recalled all the warning signs of betrayal, starting with Sarek pretending to need a human as an excuse to sell her. She felt lost in the vastness of space, light-years away from home, with no one to lend her a helping hand. Her fellow humans were out of reach, warm tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried to struggle, but she knew it was as futile as her whimpers.
A nearby door slammed, making her jump, followed by cries both near and far. Where had she landed? She wished this were all just a horrible dream. Her life had not been perfect, but she regretted it now. She should have been more cautious in her escape; her arrogance had cost her dearly. Panicking wouldn't help. She had to wait and see how things would unfold. If her captors had wanted her dead, she would already be gone. This meant they still needed her.
A second door slammed, making her jump again. The person guiding her finally forced her to sit in a chair as hard as wood, first removing her gag and then her blindfold. For a brief moment, she was blinded by a white light, but her vision quickly adjusted to the dim room in which she found herself. A small window to her right, with bars, provided some light. Skylar quickly assessed the situation. In front of her, was an empty table and chair. She didn't have time to think further, as someone sat across from her. It was a creature similar to the ones she had seen talking with Sarek and Vahrak. Skylar looked at it but chose to remain silent.
"Do you know where you are?" he began with a hoarse voice.
She didn't respond, choosing to remain silent.
"Do you know why you're here?"
Still no response. Skylar wasn't fooled. She didn't know why she was there, but she knew how she had ended up here. Her crew had betrayed her.
"Hmm," he seemed to grumble, "they said you could talk, but you're saying nothing."
This time, Skylar couldn't help but chuckle. Perhaps it was an affront to this creature, but she didn't care. They had abducted her, treated her as a prisoner, and expected her to talk? she didn't think they could be that naive.
"Laughter is a natural reaction in your species, but it's typically used when the situation is humorous. What's funny here?"
Surprisingly, it was a genuine question.
"Oh, but I'm not laughing," she finally replied, her tone serious once again. "It's a chuckle. It's used to mock a situation... or, in this case, a person."
She stared straight in the direction of his eyes behind the hood, but they were almost impossible to make out. His hands, placed flat in front of him, appeared to be made of metal, confirming her suspicions.
"So, you can talk," he said, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Do you know why you're here?"
"No, but I suppose you're going to tell me."
"You've been betrayed by your crew..."
"Let me stop you right there. I want to know the why, not the how," she interrupted.
A silence followed. The creature seemed to have gained more presence; perhaps she had made a mistake by interrupting it. However, the atmosphere relaxed once again.
"Our clients have heard about Humans since their discovery, and we receive new information about your species daily. They absolutely wanted one, but you are protected. The only way for us to obtain you was..."
"To enlist an Academician," she finished.
"You catch on quickly for a species that, up until now, has lived without knowledge of the Universe."
"Commerce is universal. How much did you pay them for that?"
"More than it takes to live safely away from the Academy for a lifetime."
"And now? What's going to happen to me?" Skylar asked, more angry than frightened.
"You will be prepared for a life of servitude to our clients."
"A life as a slave."
"A life of choice for someone like you."
Skylar fell silent. In this world, business was business, and they had sold her. Now, she had to fend for herself. She didn't know how to defend herself or how to get out of this situation. Her new "masters" would soon come for her, and she would be even farther away, lost in the Galaxy. Neither Earth nor the Academy could rescue her. She felt alone, sad, and angry.
Before she could add anything, someone burst into the room, slamming the door behind them. She quickly turned to see, but her mouth was gagged, and her head was covered with a bag. A hand seized her firmly and lifted her abruptly. This time, she struggled, trying to scream. Tears streamed down her cheeks again, her whimpering turning into whimpers. She didn't want to be taken, let alone become an alien's slave. She fought even harder, but another hand grabbed her arm. Someone shouted something behind her, and then she was violently slammed against the wall, shaking her roughly. The door slammed shut again, someone entered, ordering her to be quiet, and then everything went black. They had knocked her out.
When Skylar regained consciousness this time, she wasn't gagged or blinded by a bag. Her hands were also untied. Everything was blurry, and her head hurt. She remembered what had happened. They had knocked her out, which was why she felt even more lost than before. Yelling and struggling was generally futile; she had seen enough movies to know that. Unless she knew where to go and how to defend herself, it was pointless.
She managed to sit up, although everything was spinning around her. The room was even darker than the previous one, with no source of light, and it was as cold as a cave. A dungeon, it was obvious. She gently huddled against the rough wall, her legs pulled up to her chin. She had no choice but to wait. She thought back to what the creature had told her. She had no desire to become a slave. She was beginning to understand what the women and men who had been enslaved on her own planet might have felt. Human history was full of stories similar to hers. There was nothing glorious about it.
"I thought you were dead," a voice suddenly said from the darkness opposite her.
Skylar jumped, not having noticed the presence of another person in the room. She chose not to move; this person seemed to share her troubles. The voice approached a bit, revealing a creature that appeared to be male, tall with brown skin speckled with white markings, and large green eyes.
"Well, I'm not," she replied in a broken voice.
"They haven't been kind to you. What did you do to offend them so much?"
"Oh... I don't even know."
"What's your species?"
"I'm Human."
"You're one of the newly discovered species, right?"
"Yes..."
"I understand better," the creature said.
"Well, if you could explain to me why I have to become an alien's slave, that would be great!" Skylar exclaimed, growing increasingly angry.
"You should be grateful."
"Grateful?"
"You'll be in service to the most powerful family in the Galaxy."
A silence fell. She didn't know this "great family," and she didn't care. All she wanted was to go home.
"Would you like to elaborate? who are you talking about?" she asked, frustrated.
"The Finas De Gla, a wealthy and powerful family. They own ten planets in the Galaxy!"
"Oh, wonderful. And what does that have to do with me?"
"They have a preference for servants from rare or underrepresented species in the Galaxy."
"Like the newly discovered species," Skylar continued, beginning to understand.
"Exactly!" the creature exclaimed as he approached her. "But your species, like all the new ones, is protected by the Academy. So, what better way to obtain you than to employ Academicians?"
"But... does the Academy know about this trafficking?"
"It has strong suspicions about some of its Captains, but it has no proof, and without proof..."
"The Academy can't do anything," Skylar concluded.
The creature nodded, and they both fell into a deep silence. Business is business, and it applies even light-years away from home. What luck.
"How did this family become so powerful?" she asked after a while.
"Their business revolves around precious minerals. They've conquered one planet after another."
"So, they seek precious minerals and then resell them?"
"At triple the price!"
"I see..."
A new silence settled in.
"What's your name? why are you here? will you end up a slave of this family too?"
"My species is widespread in the Galaxy; I don't arouse much interest from the Finas De Gla. My name and my crime are not important; you will forget them."
"But you matter to someone, somewhere. You deserve a name!"
"Deayh Prev, that's the name I was given."
"Deayh Prev," Skylar repeated approximately. "Tell me about yourself; I know nothing beyond my planet. Where are you from?"
Deayh Prev seemed to think for a moment before continuing.
"I come from a planet called Guora, a picturesque planet located far from here. My species colonized it a long time ago. The sky there is orange, with vast plains and a wide variety of animals..."
"It sounds beautiful."
"It is. I have a simple farm with my wife and two children... They're already grown, but they continue to help on the farm."
"How did you end up here?"
"The Clan of Maginas."
"Who?"
"The Clan of Maginas. They roam the Galaxy and do business with all possible living species. But they are swindlers, criminals. They came to my planet... Oh, the story is far too long and not interesting."
"Tell me, please."
"I will tell you this much: stick with the Finas, never cross paths with the Clan of Maginas, or it will spell your doom."
"Alright..."
"Promise it."
"Okay, I promise you."
Skylar smiled at him. Regardless of whether it was a misstep, it was her way of expressing the joy that remained in her and reassuring him.
She had learned more about the universe, its threats, and her new masters. She understood what she needed to do to get out of this situation. She needed evidence and a way to contact the Academy. They had underestimated her species' need for freedom, and she was ready to fight for it.
Skylar remained confined for a few days. Her kidnappers had come to take Deayh Prev a few hours after he was locked up, but since then, they hadn't brought him back to the cell. She guessed what had happened to him and felt even sadder.
Finally, her masters came to retrieve her one morning. She was hungry, thirsty, and cold. They hadn't given her anything to eat, and the argument taking place outside the cell suggested that her masters were not pleased.
"She's a rebel," one of the kidnappers seemed to explain. "She tried to defend herself, didn't go down without a fight."
"Is that a reason to leave her like this?" exclaimed a voice with a gravity far too extreme to be human. "We need our servants to be in good health! do you know how much we had to pay the Academics to get her?"
"Probably as much as we did."
"You won't get your money's worth," another voice, the one that had interrogated her, chimed in.
"Why is that?" another person asked, softer this time.
"She didn't go down without a fight; she's arrogant."
"She'll be conditioned. We've paid for her. Open it."
The argument ceased, and someone opened the cell. Skylar lay on the floor, pretending to be asleep. She heard people enter, then someone leaned close to her, checking her pulse to make sure she was alive.
"Her pulse is weak, but she's alive," the person with the soft voice said.
She gently brushed Skylar's hair away from her face.
"She looks rather lovely, Acef. She might be exclusively for your service," she continued as she stood up.
Acef, the other person with the deep voice, laughed and spoke.
"It's time to go."
"Are you sure you want her?" the creature who had interrogated her one last time asked.
"Yes," they confirmed.
Acef ended the conversation and called one of his servants. The servant picked up Skylar in his arms. She was still too weak to resist, and she eventually fell into actual sleep.
When she woke up, she was in a simple bed in a small room. She got up and noticed that someone had changed and washed her. She was wearing a tight black suit with long sleeves. Her previous clothes were neatly folded on a chair, but her knife was nowhere to be seen.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered to herself as she searched for her boots.
Before she could put them on, someone knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a response. It was a representative of a species she had never seen before. Her hair resembled a mass of dreadlocks tied in a ponytail, and her skin had a dusky complexion. Skylar found her beautiful.
"Mistress Kayla is absent for a few days; we are under the command of Master Acef," she informed her.
"And?" Skylar replied, taken aback.
"And you've been sleeping for hours! even when we washed you, you were asleep."
"Fainted would be the right word."
"Put this on and join me in the main hall. Hurry!"
She left as quickly as she had entered. Skylar sighed but complied. In her hands, she had a white dress with long sleeves, shorter in front and longer in the back, with a black belt.
"Okay, so I'm supposed to wear this?" she said to herself.
She sighed again and got ready; she needed to do what they had bought her for, that was her only way to gain her freedom. With a bit of luck, she could leave today. She made a single tight braid and put on her boots before leaving the room. The representative had told her to join her in the main hall, but Skylar didn't know where it was. She followed her instincts. Her master's house looked remarkably similar to an ancient Roman villa but more futuristic. She eventually encountered two other slaves.
"Excuse me," she said as she approached them. "Where's the main hall?"
"Atalaya's waiting for you over there," replied the first, who looked strangely like Grige but smaller and less wiry.
"Who?"
"Atalaya, the one with the big braids," added the second, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Nebula from the Guardians of the Galaxy, which puzzled her.
"Alright, I got it. But how am I supposed to find it when I don't even know the place?"
"Just go straight, then turn right, and you'll be there," explained the first.
"Thanks."
"Hurry up before Atalaya gets angry."
Skylar thanked them but turned back to them before continuing.
"What are your names?"
Both looked at her with a semblance of surprise and finally replied.
"Neptune," the one who looked like Grige said.
"Joert," said the second person.
She smiled and carried on. She eventually reached a large wooden door. The main hall. She cautiously pushed it open, revealing a room more splendid than anything she had ever seen. In the center of the room stood Atalaya, who turned to her as soon as the door opened. The gleam in her eyes made her shudder.
"Close the door quickly; Master Acef will wonder where we are," she ordered.
Skylar was surprised that she was addressing her informally so suddenly after having used a formal address earlier. But she obeyed, closed the door, and approached Atalaya.
"I'm starting to get tired of being given orders," she sighed.
"You'll have to get used to it; that's your life now."
They were now face to face. Up close, Atalaya was even more beautiful than Skylar could have imagined.
"Here," she said, handing her back her retractable knife.
Skylar was shocked; she had thought that the master would have her knife.
"You're lucky that we are taking care of you, not the masters. Otherwise, you might never have woken up," Atalaya said.
"Thank you," she stammered.
"Listen," Atalaya continued, placing her hand on her shoulder. "From now on, you can only rely on yourself and us. The masters are not kind, especially Mistress Kayla. We will look after you; I will look after you, just like I do with the others: Neptune, Joert, and Citsa. As long as you do what you're told, everything will be fine."
"I'll try."
"No, you will. Now, hide your knife and follow me; I'm going to introduce you to Master Acef."
"Yes, ma'am," Skylar replied resignedly, tucking her knife into her boot and following Atalaya.
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