"What did you give to it, Rahn? It will not wake!"
"It was a simple healing tonic." The woman shrugged.
"You were instructed to give it bread and water, not heal it!"
"The Premier will wish to question her, they will expect her to be coherent enough to answer! You have made it so she can barely speak, Zein." Rahn said dryly. "Besides it is a simple tonic, you do not have to worry, she will still be in pain from all of your hard work."
"Good. That is good." He huffed. "I do not think I will get any more out of it anyway. Load it onto the cruiser, make sure it is secure. We leave in half an hour."
Rahn nodded slightly and turned to leave her superior where they were all eating lunch in Aktur.
"And Rahn..." she turned to him as she neared the door. "Defy my orders again and you will join it." He said dryly as he shoved a potato in his mouth.
~~~~~
Ashima woke to a wet cloth being rubbed across her forehead. "Mmmm" she hummed out, relishing in the comforting action against her pounding head.
"Ashima."
Ashima startled and sat up quickly at the woman's voice.
"We are nearing the homeland. You must wake up now." The woman spoke quietly and Ashima got the feeling she didn't want anyone else to hear their conversation.
"Listen, we don't have much time."
Ashima closed her eyes and rubbed her hand over her forehead, trying to ease the pressure in her head. "How... How long have I been asleep?"
"Around 10 hours. Listen." The woman placed her hands on Ashima's forearms, getting her attention. "We will arrive in less than an hour. Zein will be here to question and intimidate you one last time before we arrive, so we don't have long."
Ashima tensed. She knew Zein well at this point, they had spent plenty of time together as he tortured her the past several nights.
"Stay strong, Ashima." Rahn said. "The Premier will respect strength and bravery. But do not appear arrogant or self-righteous. You must be humble."
"Brave but humble..." Ashima repeated in confusion. "What is about to happen? What can I expect?"
"You will be questioned by the Premier but I know nothing outside of that. The homeland is nothing like the camp where you landed..." she paused. "We have no more time. Drink this."
Ashima looked at the liquid and then back up to the woman. "The same drink as before?" The woman nodded, then Ashima downed the drink.
"I must go. Tell no one I spoke with you or gave you that drink."
"What's your name?"
"It is better for me if you do not know." The woman looked away as if ashamed.
"Thank you. For everything." Ashima clasped the woman's hand with her own. The woman nodded before she rushed out of the room.
It was then that Ashima had a moment to look at her surroundings. Once she did she gasped audibly and stood abruptly. The action had her clutching her head in pain, before she steadied herself and reopened her eyes to look again.
"How can this be..." she turned to look all around her. They were no longer in an enclosed wagon that looked as if it were a frontier days reproduction, but instead she found herself in a room made of steel. Aside from the flat metal seat she had woken up on, there was also a toilet, a small pedestal sink and a door. All made of metal. Above her, in the center of the ceiling was a light. An electric light. She immediately looked around and found a type of switch. Her breath caught as she turned it and the light turned off, enveloping her in darkness. She turned it back and the light returned.
"How is this possible? I thought..."
"The homeland is nothing like the camp where you landed." She recalled the woman saying. "What?!"
Before she could think further of it, the door to the small room opened and Zein was staring at her with a small smile on his lips.
~~~~~
"You are not able to wake her?" The king asked, frustrated.
"I apologize, my lord." Zein shook his head. "Perhaps it is the differing physiology." He suggested, not wanting to suggest that it may actually be his fault due to treating Ashima so harshly. When she had passed out on him during his last chance to question her, he had gotten so angry he kept hitting her.
"They have had a long journey and it is well into the night. Let us all return to bed and we will question the foreigner in the morning when we are all of a fresh mind." The Queen suggested to her husband.
The King and Zein grumbled, not loving the idea. The king instead sat behind his large desk and motioned for Zein to sit. Once he did, the king continued. "Tell me what you have learned."
"I can tell my king what she has said, as her story did not waver over the journey. However, I caution my lord from believing it."
"You have reason to suspect the foreigner is lying?"
"There is always reason to suspect." Zein said dryly, leaning back in his chair just slightly.
"Very well, tell us what she has said."
Zein filled them in on Ashima's story of how she arrived on Domu, from the time she boarded her ship to the time she arrived in the camp.
"And how long was she at the camp by the time you arrived?" The king asked.
"19 days."
"She was in the medical tent the entire time?"
"No. She was unconscious for two days but once she woke up, they released her to the care of the person who had found her and turned her in."
"Why would they not keep her contained within the medical tent with someone on guard at all times?" The king huffed out, annoyed.
"With the trials and lack of technology in the camp, they claimed they would not have the ability to properly serve the participants, the camp, and keep the foreigner in check." Zein answered.
"We will speak with their superiors. We must put better procedures in place for such an occurrence."
"Indeed."
The king's chief administrative officer made a note in his electronic tablet. "Perhaps we should update these plans of procedure for all departments, my lords."
"Excellent idea, Heziek." The King and Queen agreed.
"Zein, let's move on to your report. What do you feel her threat level is."
"On the surface, it appears to be physically inferior in every way. Smaller, weaker, unable to withstand the cold temperature."
"Good. This is good."
"But we cannot underestimate the foreigners' threat to us, my lord. How did it learn our language so quickly? Perhaps it is a spy. We do not know any of their capabilities or what her people are like. If they might come in search of her-"
"Yes, yes. Of course we will." The King waved him off. "Anything else you've learned?"
"That is all."
"Zein." The Queen gathered his attention. "Who was this person who found her? The one who was responsible for her all this time? What do we know of them?"
"I must apologize to my lords, I do not know."
"This is entirely unacceptable." The king and queen both complained.
"The general's team apprehended the alien and then handed it off to my unit for transport. I have shared with you all the information I was given."
"With no information on who she was with? No statement from this person? He knows better. You should have too." The Queen scolded the captain and the general, who was not there to defend himself. "Why did he not return with you?"
"I cannot say, my lord. Perhaps he stayed to question this person, as you have said." Zein responded nervously.
~~~~~~
Ashima woke to being shaken roughly. She whimpered. "No... no more. Please."
Someone's voice said something, but she couldn't register it. She was shaken again, causing pain to shoot through her body. "No! Please!" She cried and finally moved her body, curling into a ball.
"What is she going on about?" A woman's voice said.
"How should I know?" A man responded.
"Come on, little alien. Time to meet the King and Queen."
Ashima's eyes slowly opened and she looked at the two guards standing above her. "You're not the guards I was traveling with." She whispered, staring at them suspiciously. "Did..." she hesitated, waiting to see if they would get angry at her for continuing to ask questions. When they waited for her to speak, she finished. "Did you say King and Queen?"
They both nodded before the woman spoke. "Yes, they've been eager to meet you. I'd say you had them fairly disappointed by refusing to wake last night. Some are betting you did that on purpose. Care to enlighten us so I can know if I chose the winning or losing opinion?
"You placed a bet?" The man shook his head. "Honestly Teluq, what is wrong with you?"
She waved him off with her hand, addressing Ashima. "Well?"
Ashima was staring at the two, trying to get her brain to wake up and her head to stop pounding. She exhaled slowly before sitting up and taking in her surroundings, closing her eyes to let her head adjust to the new position. "I didn't even know we had arrived until just this moment."
The woman grumbled and the man chuckled. "I take it you lost, Teluq. Perhaps you'll stop throwing your money away on senseless bets." He said dryly before addressing Ashima. "You're in the homeland now, at the Grand Hall. You arrived late last night but no one could get you to wake up."
"And... captain Zein?" She asked timidly, looking toward the door behind them.
The man shrugged. "Come. We must go."
Ashima stood shakily, wincing in pain at the movement before falling back down onto the bed. "I... I don't know if I can." She said weakly.
"Are you ill?" Teluq asked, taking rushed steps toward Ashima, but Ashima didn't hear her words. As soon as the woman rushed toward her, all she could see was captain Zein attacking her.
"Please, don't! Please!" Ashima screamed as the woman reached her arm out.
Teluq withdrew her hand and looked to the male guard in confusion.
"Teluq, get some water and a mild healing tonic. One that won't make her fall asleep. And bring some healing cream as well."
"Wha-"
"Just do it, Teluq." The man commanded.
The woman grumbled but did as she was told. The man watched her leave the room and go down the hallway before turning back to Ashima. "How bad is it?"
Ashima looked up at the man in confusion.
"Your injuries." The man explained. "What's the extent of them? It may be dark in here, but I can still clearly see the marks on your face. Is it the same over your entire body? Is it worse?"
"I..." she swallowed. Was this a trick? Would Zein come beat on her more if she told of what he did to her? Her fear of him was so great, she couldn't think past it. She simply stared at the man.
"Unless this is how your species always looks?" The man said as he crossed his arms. Ashima hesitated but eventually shook her head and looked down, away from his gaze.
"May I?" He very slowly approached her, squatting down in front of Ashima, motioning toward her black sweater. Ashima stared at him.
"I am Dran." He placed a hand on his chest and nodded in greeting. "I promise I mean you no harm, I simply wish to assess your injuries." Ashima watched him for a moment before she nodded slightly. He reached forward and helped her remove the sweater, leaving her in her tank top.
The man showed no reaction to what Ashima assumed was skin covered in dark bruises, swelling, and cuts. Ashima hadn't gathered the courage to look at them herself but she knew they were there. They were everywhere.
The man stood and stepped back as footsteps approached, moments later revealing Teluq in the doorway, holding a mug of water in one hand and a jar of dark liquid in the other. She let out a gasp when she saw Ashima's bare skin.
"Is that...?"
"Yes." The man said. "Give her the tonic and apply cream to her injuries. I will inform the premier that we will be longer than expected."