Chapter 4
Chapter Four
*** LYDIA ***
W hen Lydia regained consciousness, for a moment she thought nothing had changed and the problems with the ship had been a dream.
After all, the first thing she heard was Marcus telling lies and being obnoxious as usual.
Then, to her horror, the pain hit. It took astonishing effort and deep breathing to control it so that she could speak.
Even then, she was gritting her teeth, and her voice held less conviction than she normally possessed.
Once she had reminded Marcus that he was not the captain, she raised her head and caught her first glimpse of the planet's inhabitants.
The big, muscular man facing off with her second-in-command was the most perfect specimen of a male she had ever seen.
His dark hair was wavy and a little too long, covering his ears and falling into his eyes when he shook his mighty head at Marcus.
Not usually a fan of facial hair, Lydia thought the beard suited the man very well.
Maybe it was the pain confusing her or the lack of light in the room, but he appeared human, only larger than most. But, her ears didn't deceive her.
She understood every word he said. He was speaking English, though in a stilted, overly concise manner.
It reminded her of a Victorian novel: no slang .
Oddly, she didn't fear him, even if he held a weapon in his hand. So, she agreed to cooperate with his wishes.
She was thrilled to see Sophia for a couple of reasons.
Sure, she was happy that her best friend was alive, but she knew it meant her pain would soon end.
She would have allowed the commander, as his men had referred to him, to help her.
However, she hadn't been looking forward to the extra pain he warned her about.
He was very reasonable, considering the situation, and she really liked the way he handled Marcus.
Strangely, the control room felt colder and more hostile on his leaving.
"I have something for the pain with me, but I couldn't carry everything. So, I will ease the pain and straighten your limbs, then I need to go for more supplies," Sophia explained. "Will that be allowed?" she asked the guards.
"The commander wants everyone treated, so one of us will take you for supplies," one of the younger guards replied.
In almost a whisper, Sophia asked, "Did they tell you where we are? Better yet, did they say what they are?"
Clearly eavesdropping, Marcus answered, "He called the planet Talonia. I thought he was human until I saw his eyes. They're red. Don't be fooled by his lies. He's some sort of changeling: a demon in disguise. He wants to enslave us."
"I thought you said he wished to get information, then kill us.
Now it's slavery and demons. Make up your mind which movie genre you want this to be.
I think he's being quite kind considering the fact that to him we're the aliens and we've crashed on his world, destroying a piece of it," Lydia retorted as Sophia guided the bone in her leg back in place.
"You heard how he talked to me, like he was in control and superior," Marcus complained.
"Look around you, idiot. He is in control, and I would have to say he is definitely superior to you," Sophia laughed .
"Why must you always put me down? As my sister, you should be on my side, and you should have seen to my injuries first. Blood is thicker than water, remember?"
"Not when it comes to us," Sophia answered.
"All my life you've acted as if being a female makes me a lesser person and I disowned you for it years ago.
I'm stuck on this ship with you and I will treat your injuries, but only after I've taken care of Lydia.
It's my job to decide who needs more urgent attention and in this case, it was her. "
"That's enough of the personal arguments from both of you. Sophia, I know how vexing it is to listen to his diatribes, but we are not alone here. We're putting on a show for these men, and it makes us appear weak and divided. That won't help us negotiate with them," Lydia commanded.
Sophia nodded, and for once Marcus closed his mouth. He even held his tongue when Sophia looked over his injuries. "Your leg isn't broken. It's just a sprain. I'll bring back a wrap with the rest of my supplies. In the meantime, sit down and elevate it."
In Sophia's absence, the others remained silent. Lydia had questions but instinctively knew the soldiers wouldn't answer them. The commander had better control of his troops than she had of hers.
Sophia returned and made quick work of wrapping Marcus's leg. She had just begun on Lydia's arm when the commander entered.
"How are my crew?" Lydia immediately asked.
Hesher frowned. He did not like to report bad news and was certain the loss of crew members would cause this woman emotional pain.
Yet, as captain, it was her right to know the whole truth.
"You have lost a total of eight crew members.
Twenty more are badly hurt. The rest will be fine.
My healer has arrived and is tending to some of the more unfortunate.
Your medical officer has permission to join him once she is finished here. Of course, a guard will go with her. "
Lydia swallowed hard to keep tears from her eyes. Losing eight people whom she was responsible for hurt her heart, but she refused to show weakness in front of a man who basically shared the same authority as herself. "Thank you for the concise report and the help of your healer. What happens now?"
"I have questions that require answers," Hesher replied.
"So do I," Lydia answered back.
The big man laughed, and it shook Lydia to her very bones. He was even more impressive than she had imagined, and his eyes were definitely red. She could see why Marcus used the word demon.
"You have courage. That is an admirable quality. However, I cannot tell you much until I have the king's blessing. I will give you the same information I gave your crew. This planet is called Talonia, and it will sustain human life. I can say no more."
"How did you know we are humans?" Lydia inquired.
"It is a long, involved story that I am not at liberty to relate. Suffice it to say, we are aware of your needs for existence and they will be met by Talonia. Can you answer questions, or must you also look to a superior?"
"I can answer most questions."
"Then I will begin," Hesher commented. "Was Talonia your destination?"
"No, we have never heard of it."
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"Our vessel is the Outreach II, an exploratory spaceship sent into deep space to find planets and possible life forms. We have become aware during other space travels that we are not alone in the universe," Lydia explained .
"So, you were sent to this sector to find life?"
"No, we were nowhere near here. In fact, we are completely lost. Something hit our ship.
The computer shows it was an asteroid, but I doubt it.
There was no asteroid field close by. Anyway, it caused us to go into hyperdrive.
No destination had been set, so we were sent into the unknown.
Your stars are uncharted. As I said, we're lost."
"Did the object cause your ship to crash?" Hesher demanded.
"In a way. It damaged the engines, and we were unable to fix them before they completely shut off. We got caught in your gravitational pull, and you probably saw the rest; we crashed."
"You speak as if it was a simple matter.
It was not, I am sure. There is a more complicated and detailed story involved.
But, just like you, I appreciate the concise description.
The details can wait. I have one question of great importance that requires an honest answer, please. Does anyone else know where you are?"
Marcus started to answer, "All of Earth?—"
Lydia cut him off, "No. We asked if they could track us, but the answer was no. They searched all known charted solar systems, and we weren't there. We lost communications when the engines stopped, though up until then we had recorded everything we came across in this system."
"Including Talonia?" Hesher wanted to know.
"It was hidden in the cloud bank."
Hesher nodded and replied, "Thank you for being truthful. Your honesty was a great risk, and I assume that is why your second-in-command tried to say differently. He did not want me to know you are alone. I understand his thinking, but I assure you, honesty is better in this situation."
"Now what? Do we go to prison?" Lydia asked .
"For now, you stay here. Your ship is safe, and so shall you be.
You may go anywhere in the ship you wish, with a guard.
You may see to your crew, eat, drink, or sleep.
I ask that you do not try to leave the ship or reach out to Earth.
Doing those things would quickly change how much freedom you have.
I must pass the information you have given me to the king.
He has the final say on what we do with you.
Do not become overly concerned, for I can promise that death is not an option.
We do not destroy that which does not seek to destroy us. "
*** Hesher ***