Starborne

Chapter 3

I awoke in a dark room, nestled among a collection of furs and a soft, cotton-like material. I had been changed out of my suit into a long night-dress, and noted with relief that my undergarments remained the same. I felt a bit of panic when I reached for my blaster and found it gone, but forced myself to consider that the Cynabarrians would probably not want to give weapons to the strange human they found caught in a trap near their village. My pack, sans knife and fire kit, lay by the side of the bed. Upon further inspection I found that what I thought was a room was in fact a large, sturdy tent. 

There was a nightstand next to me that contained a pitcher of liquid and a glass. I presumed it was water, but found it to be a sweet smelling juice of some kind. I decided to wait until I could procure some water, as I wasn’t sure what the alien liquid would do to my Terran digestive tract. 

Testing my weight on my legs, I was relieved to find that my muscles had recovered from earlier. It was a bit disconcerting to not be sure how long I had been asleep, but the inky blackness surrounding me hinted that it hadn’t been for more than a few hours. I wondered how the Cynabarrians had gotten me back to the village, and assumed one of them had carried me. It was probably the woman, she seemed the least repulsed by my touch, but my thoughts unwillingly cut back to the muscular, grey-eyed man who caught me. Nope, not him. He didn’t seem to care too much about my wellbeing, and I scolded my stupid adrenaline-addled brain for cutting back to his image. 

“Yeah right, Holly. Everyone knows that the men on Cynabar just looove Terrans running around and ogling at them. What a prize you are!” I admonished myself, and crept towards the entrance of the tent on light feet. 

I pulled back the flap to see that it was indeed nighttime. My tent was one of several arranged in a semicircle around a central hut. There was a road leading away from the tents, and I could see what looked like stone and wooden houses branching off into a sizable village. Everything was illuminated by hanging lanterns, and I hoped that the fire was simply preferable to electricity, and not a necessity. Cursing my unclothed state and lack of shoes, I stepped out to find someone to ask for assistance. 

I didn’t want to disturb anyone who was sleeping, so I walked carefully towards the central hut, which I could see had a light on in the window. Step one was to find someone who spoke Terran, and from there I would see about securing my clothes and weapons. 

I knocked on the door of the hut, and waited for someone to answer. I was greeted by an older woman, who seemed surprised at my state of undress and yelled something in Cynabarrian into the room behind her. 

“Do you speak Terran?” I tried out the words, hoping that I was remembering them correctly. 

“Terran.” She pronounced the word and shook her head. The woman yelled something else into the hut, and a man similar in age approached the door. 

The man was holding a black, square device, and spoke into it with careful words. I heard ‘Terran’ but could decipher nothing else. A gruff voice responded from the box, and I couldn’t stop myself from yelling with excitement. They had radio capabilities! That meant I could deliver my message to the Capital and find someone from the Terran base to retrieve my ship. The woman seemed shocked by my shout of glee, but quickly moved her face into a smile and opened the door for me to come inside. She led me to a room with soft furs and wooden chairs, gesturing for me to sit. 

I complied, placing my hands under my thighs, and sitting quietly while the man continued to converse with the person at the other end of the radio. Based on the tone, they did not seem to be happy to be awakened, and I winced at the possibility that I had inconvenienced or irritated anyone. With my luck, it was someone important who I would need to ask for help. 

The woman left for a few moments and returned with a soft shawl to wrap around my shoulders and a pair of woven sandals. She placed them next to me and gave a small bow. Recognizing the gesture, I placed my right fist into the flattened palm of my left hand, and bowed back. She seemed pleased, and took a seat in the chair next to mine. 

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. The man got up to answer it, and I heard another male voice speaking from the entryway. A very familiar voice. 

Oh, no.

“So, you have awakened.” He walked into the room stiffly, and stood by the door, grey eyes dark and unreadable. The woman quickly turned and bowed deeply to him. Confused, I did the same. 

I saw him eye my state of undress, and he seemed annoyed by my disheveled appearance. I wasn’t there to make a visual impact, but I couldn’t help the feeling that I was being judged, and coming up short. I quickly ran a hand through my hair and stood a bit straighter.

“Hello. Thank you for taking the time to help me. Can you please begin by thanking these kind people for taking me in and giving me comfort?” I kept my tone flat and respectful, as I needed his help. Even though his attitude irked me, I knew better than to get on the bad side of the seemingly only person who spoke my language. 

He relayed my message to the approval of the couple, and then turned back to me. 

“You will come with me now, Akara is waiting in your tent with clothes and food.” He made a quick gesture for me to follow, and turned back towards the doorway. 

I hurried to smile and bow to the couple, and quickly rushed after him back to my tent.

“My name is Holly. It is nice to meet you - again, I guess.” My words rushed out as I struggled to keep up with his long strides. He showed no sign of being willing to accommodate my smaller frame, and barely looked back at me with his answer. 

“We contacted your Terran base, and they confirmed your story. I am Stefin.” He was matter of fact, detached. He threw his name in at the end, almost as an afterthought, as if it occurred to him in passing that he should probably be civil. 

“Is Akara the woman who was with you when you found me? Does she have my clothes? Does anyone have a radio I can use to talk to the base?” My questions rushed out in a flurry before I could stop myself.

“Yes, you will be able to radio the Terrans in the morning.” Stefin purposefully ignored my other questions in favor of the one he deemed most pertinent. 

I decided to save my breath for someone who actually wished to speak to me, and didn’t treat me like a chore. I stepped through the tent behind him, and was greeted by a lit lantern and the woman from the jungle, who I assumed to be Akara. She bowed to Stefin, then to me, and I returned the gesture. She glanced at his face, and with a huff turned away. Akara gestured to the bed where my suit was laid out, seemingly having been washed for me. There was a bowl of what looked like stew on the table beside the bed, and my stomach grumbled at the smell. 

Akara let out a soft laugh and ordered Stefin away with a flick of her wrist. I was oddly nervous to see him go, and called after him. 

“I have language transfer technology in my ship. If someone can take me there tomorrow, I will no longer need your assistance with translation.” I was hesitant, but wanted him to know I would not be a permanent burden. 

Stefin paused at the flap of the tent, and nodded. 

“That will be preferable. We will send a mission tomorrow, and then leave for the Capital.” He made a move to leave, but I stopped him. 

“We will leave for the Capital?” I hoped to keep the hope out of my voice, but it seemed that some slipped through. He gave me the first hint of a smile and something jolted in my chest. 

“Why of course. It is no favor on my part. I live there, after all.”