Chapter 4 - Departure
1253 Words
A deep vibration rolled through the ship.
Mira felt it first in the floor beneath her feet, then in the walls, like a massive heart slowly beginning to beat. Soft blue lights along the corridor brightened as the vessel powered up.
Somewhere far below them, enormous engines came alive.
She turned instinctively toward the viewing panel near the docking corridor.
Outside, the massive station drifted slowly away as docking clamps released their grip on the ship’s hull.
“Departure sequence initiated,” a calm mechanical voice echoed through the ship.
Mira’s chest tightened.
This is it.
The last connection to the station detached with a metallic rumble. The ship glided silently out of the docking bay and into open space.
Stars filled the window.
The station shrank behind them until it became just another glowing object among thousands.
Mira pressed her hand lightly against the glass.
She was leaving.
Really leaving.
One of the aliens stepped beside her.
The one with silver hair.
He watched the stars with quiet amusement.
“You are observing the departure.”
“Yeah,” Mira said softly.
Her reflection in the glass showed the metal collar around her neck.
“I guess this is the part where my life officially becomes insane.”
He looked down at her.
“That already occurred when you were abducted.”
“Fair point.”
Behind them, the other four aliens gathered in the center of the room.
The leader turned toward her.
“We should introduce ourselves.”
Mira slowly faced them.
Standing together like this, they seemed even more intimidating.
Five enormous alien warriors.
And her.
The leader stepped forward first.
He was easily the tallest—well over eight feet—with broad shoulders and dark bronze skin marked by faint glowing lines that ran across his arms like veins of light. His amber eyes were steady and sharp, studying everything around him.
“My name is Kaelor,” he said.
His voice carried quiet authority.
“I command this vessel.”
Mira nodded slowly.
“Okay… Captain Kaelor.”
He accepted the title without comment.
The silver-haired alien pushed himself away from the wall next.
His hair fell long and straight down his back like polished metal. His skin was pale compared to the others, and his eyes glowed a faint icy blue.
“I am Vael,” he said.
“I handle navigation, research, and matters of curiosity.”
He gestured lightly toward Mira.
“You currently qualify as all three.”
She blinked.
“Great.”
Another alien stepped forward.
He was the one with dark obsidian skin covered in faint glowing markings across his arms and chest. The lines pulsed slowly with blue light beneath his skin like circuitry.
His presence felt calm.
Controlled.
“I am Rethan,” he said in a deep voice.
“I maintain the ship’s systems and technology.”
He glanced briefly at the collar around Mira’s neck.
“I also installed your translator.”
“Good to know,” Mira muttered.
The fourth alien stepped forward next.
He was the most heavily built of them all—his shoulders wide enough to block most of the corridor. Scars crossed his dark skin like pale lines, evidence of past battles.
His eyes were a deep red.
“I am Drokan.”
His voice sounded like distant thunder.
“I handle security.”
Mira had absolutely no doubt about that.
Finally the last alien approached.
He had dark green skin with faint golden patterns across his jaw and temples. His expression was thoughtful, quieter than the others.
“I am Seyrin,” he said.
“I oversee biological matters.”
Mira pointed at him.
“So you’re the one who did the implant.”
“Yes.”
“Not my favorite moment.”
He gave a small apologetic nod.
The introductions finished, the five towering aliens stood around her in a loose circle.
Mira shifted slightly under the weight of their attention.
“So,” she said slowly, “you all bought me together?”
“Yes,” Kaelor replied.
“We share ownership.”
That sentence made her stomach twist.
“Right. Of course you do.”
Vael folded his arms thoughtfully.
“You are the first human any of us have encountered personally.”
“Lucky me.”
“You are… interesting.”
Mira sighed.
“I’m starting to really hate that word.”
Kaelor stepped closer.
His height forced Mira to tilt her head up again.
“You are not a slave,” he said.
“You are not labor.”
She crossed her arms.
“Great.”
“You are a toy.”
That word landed harder.
“What exactly does that mean to you?” she asked.
Rethan answered calmly.
“It means you are under our protection.”
Drokan added,
“It also means you belong to us.”
Mira grimaced.
“Still not loving that phrasing.”
Vael continued.
“Humans are considered rare biological curiosities across several regions of the galaxy. Most who acquire one keep them for observation, entertainment, or companionship.”
Mira blinked slowly.
“You’re saying people collect humans.”
“Yes.”
“That’s… horrifying.”
Seyrin spoke again, his tone more scientific.
“There is another reason humans are valuable.”
Mira looked at him warily.
“And that would be?”
“Compatibility.”
Her brow furrowed.
“With what?”
“With many species.”
The room went quiet for a moment.
Seyrin continued calmly.
“Over the past several centuries, fertility among several advanced species—including our own—has declined significantly. Many alien females are no longer capable of reproduction.”
Mira stared at him.
“…You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
He folded his hands behind his back.
“Human genetics appear unusually adaptable. Early studies suggest humans may be biologically compatible with multiple alien species.”
Mira’s brain struggled to process that.
“So you’re saying…” she said slowly, “…humans can have children with aliens?”
“In theory.”
“In practice,” Vael added, “very few humans have ever been studied long enough to confirm the full extent of that compatibility.”
Mira’s eyes widened.
“That’s why humans are so rare in auctions, isn’t it?”
Kaelor answered.
“Yes.”
A chill ran through her.
“You didn’t just buy me because I’m ‘interesting.’”
Drokan crossed his arms.
“That was part of it.”
“But not the only reason,” she finished.
“No.”
Mira rubbed her temples.
“So let me get this straight.”
She pointed at herself.
“I’m a rare alien collectible.”
Then she gestured at them.
“And possibly a cross-species reproduction experiment.”
Vael considered that.
“That is an overly dramatic interpretation.”
Mira stared at him.
“It’s also accurate.”
No one argued.
She let out a long breath.
“This day just keeps getting worse.”
Kaelor finally turned toward the forward corridor of the ship.
“Our world is called Velaryn.”
Mira followed his gaze.
“It is where we are going.”
The ship suddenly lurched slightly.
Outside the viewing window, the stars stretched into long streaks of light.
Mira’s stomach dropped.
“What was that?!”
Vael smiled faintly.
“Fold-jump.”
Space itself twisted.
And the ship carrying Mira—and her five alien owners—vanished into the darkness between stars.
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