Author's Note: This chapter contains violence. I do not condone abuse of any kind, verbal or physical, against anyone. This was included for character development alone. Grit your teeth and it will be over before you know it! ~NeverEvers
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They disembarked General Thruk's ship as soon as Elaine released Thalia. To the girl's disappointment, there still wasn't much to see. It seemed an endless world of white walls and gearmen. As they stepped off the gangplank, a gearman suddenly bid her halt.
The gearman stepped forward and efficiently took her arm, although Thalia could not decide why. She was not stupid enough to run away now. Even she could see that the gearmen would be upon her before she took three steps.
As her slippered feet touched down on the white floor of the docking bay, she understood.
The whole world felt as if it was sinking. Her clothes became heavy, and the hair on her head felt like it might crush her beneath its weight. She became dizzy, and brought her hand over her mouth against a sudden wave of nausea.
"Remain calm." The gearman instructed.
Thalia was grateful for his supportive hand on her arm. Without it, she would have gone crashing to the ground. As the nausea passed, Thalia glanced about for the culprit, but could find nothing to blame. It was simply a large, white docking bay. No different from the one on the Quarantine Ship, except larger.
"You are on-planet, Princess," The Gearman said, "The gravity sickness will pass quickly. We will wait until you are ready to proceed."
"On-planet?" She said, disbelieving. As far as she knew, she had spent her entire life docked in deep space. Exhilaration washed through her. She was on a planet! This was what real, natural gravity felt like! And down below the white floor was ground! Maybe even the brown dirt of Earth! If only she could see it.
"I'm okay," She told the gearman quickly, excited for the first time since she was taken from the Quarantine Ship.
When the group stepped off again, Thalia was annoyed at their pace. She craned her neck around as they turned each corner, hoping to catch sight of something bright, something colorful. To her disappointment, however, all they saw where more white walls. If it weren't for the strong gravity pressing her feet to the ground, she might have believed they had entered another ship.
"Will I even get to see outside?" Thalia asked a gearman, her voice low with disappointment.
"The ceremonial chamber has windows, Princess." He responded happily.
For once Thalia was not annoyed by his cheery voice. Windows! She had learned about spaceships with thick glass planes that allowed the occupants to look out upon the stars. To learn that they had them here, on a planet, was almost too good to be true. What would you see through such a window? Surely there was something to look at, or they would not have been installed.
"Are we going there now?" She asked, and Elaine chuckled.
"Yes, Princess." The gearman said, and Thalia could not help the smile that spread across her painted face.
"Such enthusiasm to meet His Highness!" Elaine said, "But of course, my dearest Princess, why would you not be so excited? He is the mightiest of all men, your betrothed is, and not a soul would ever doubt it! Oh to be young and feel such a bright, burning hope for the future! I dare say I was just like you once, dear girl, just exactly as you are now, except I did not have the status that you have, and had quite less to yearn for, indeed I did, but yearn fiercely I did, regardless!"
The joy left her just as quickly as it had come.
A ceremonial chamber. Of course, she was being taken to be presented to her husband. There would be no escaping now. At least, she thought, she might be able to look out a window instead of looking at her mate. If he was anything like General Thruk, she wanted nothing to do with him.
The group came to a set of large double doors. A gearman rapped twice and Thalia heard an odd musical instrument sound inside. After a few long moments, the doors opened wide.
Thalia gasped at the scene before her.
The entire room was golden. The floors had been polished so that they reflected the various people walking above them. The ceilings soared so high that Thalia knew they must indeed be on a planet somewhere, because this grand room would never fit inside a ship.
The room was a grand circle, the circumference of which Thalia could not fathom. It was filled with people of all kinds. Most were tall and muscular men with white skin. They had to be Arktzirax. There were also short, squishy looking men with bright orange skin, and thin men who were a deep brown. The latter lacked faces entirely.
Human women also moved about the crowd. Most were being clung to by a man of some species, but a few were lounging on pillows off to one side. They appeared to be laughing at some joke. With a start, Thalia realized that the other women had their hair unbound and un-powdered. Not a single woman in the crowd was adorned in the manner that Elaine had adorned Thalia.
Anxiety began to creep up into Thalia's throat.
She was so busy looking around at the room, and its occupants, that it took a moment before Thalia noticed the large, raised dais in the middle of the room. Upon it sat two golden chairs, each one large enough to hold six girls Thalia's size.
Her chest tightened.
A horn blasted somewhere, and General Thruk appeared before the dais. Thalia quickly scanned the crowd for Abigail, but her friend was nowhere to be seen.
"Gentlemen!" Thruk called out, and his voice boomed off of the golden walls in an alarming way. Every being in the room ceased speaking and turned towards him. Thalia had to remind herself to breathe. "His Majesty King Qutrax and His Mightiness, Prince Xieol!"
Everyone leapt to their feet, and Thalia's view was mostly obscured. She could just make out the large bulbous heads of the King and his son as they made their way from some other entrance to the middle of the room. There was something off about the shape of their heads, but Thalia could not but her finger on exactly what it was.
When the two stepped upon the dais, Thalia got a much better view than she wanted.
Both Arktzirax were above eight feet tall, with shoulders wider than three of Thalia's put together. Next to the King and Prince, General Thruk appeared tiny.
The royal pair were each robed in the same golden fabric, with shocks of purple running through it. As they stood surveying the crowd, the tops of their heads began to move slightly. Slowly, three long tentacles emerged from the skulls of each man.
Thalia gasped and backed into the gearman behind her.
Tentacles? They had tentacles! Not small ones, either. Thalia estimated that each horrifying appendage was equal in length to her arm. She felt suddenly sick. Her vision blurred. Panic began to build within her and she felt she would drown in it. Thalia spun and faced the gearman behind her.
"Help," She whispered, frantic, as she clung to the cold covering of his arm. "Please, I'm s-scared! Assist me!"
"Yes, Princess."
The gearman quickly raised his hand, and Thalia inhaled the mist from his finger as deeply as she could. The panic instantly left her, but her fear did not dissipate completely. She still felt a deep sense of foreboding as she looked back at the royal pair. Each of them still had three tentacles waving casually in the air above their heads.
The King made a small gesture and the crowd quickly scrambled to find their seats. Elaine vanished in the sudden swirl of people, and the gearmen each dropped to one knee. Thalia soon found herself standing alone by the door, much too conspicuous for her liking.
King Qutrax's large black eyes quickly found her. She could almost feel him assessing her as he looked her up and down. When he finally met her gaze, he held it for what felt an eternity. His black eyes were blank, betraying nothing of his thoughts. The only move he made was a slight flaring of the slits that were his nostrils. When his inspection was concluded, he gave a brief nod and extended his hand toward her.
"Lady Thalia," He announced to the assembled masses, and his voice boomed off the curved walls of the room.
Thalia felt a single bead of sweat trail down the nape of her neck. At least he had not called her "Princess". Her nerves still felt much steadier than they should. She silently thanked any deity listening for the gearmen and their mist.
"I have heard much of you," The King continued. As he spoke, he glanced across the room to assure that each being present was hanging on his every word.
They were.
"Today, I present this vessel to my son," Another gesture towards Thalia, "A unique vessel that I deem almost worthy of him. For, you see, she is not only physically compatible with the Arktzirax but also," Another quick glance about, "a nearly perfect chemical match with our grand race!"
There was a mixture of grasps and applause. The king let his thin black lips peel back in a smile. He raised a fist triumphantly and the cheers spread. Some of the audience rose to their feet. Thalia felt hundreds of eyes staring at her. Many of the Arktzirax men present began to slowly turn green, one swirl of color at a time. She didn't dare look up at the prince to see if he had changed as well.
"Yes!" The King continued, "We have finally achieved what we have so long sought! We now stand mere years away from being able to provide completely compatible vessels to all that are loyal to the crown! Our power will only grow with time! The day is coming, and soon, when the Arktzirax race will once again have our own women kneeling beside us! The days of the vessels are numbered!"
Cheers echoed off the walls. Every man present was on his feet. Thalia felt very small amidst the screaming masses. The days of the vessels would be over. That had to be good. Somehow, she wasn't completely sure. She couldn't help wondering what would happen to all the girls on the Quarantine Ships, and the other humans that were locked away somewhere, breeding. It didn't seem likely that the Arktzirax would just let them go.
Order slowly returned to the assembly. As each man returned to his seat, her view of the King became clearer. He was still looking at her. When their eyes met again, he continued.
