Thalia tossed and turned throughout the night. She was exhausted, but her limbs thrummed with energy. She had done it. She has escaped Xieol and was alive to tell about it. That did not happen frequently.
There was also the mystery that was Captain Alders and his sudden appearance in an area he had no business in. Why fly so close to the citadel if it was so dangerous? There must have been a reason why, yet he wasn't inclined to tell her.
Hours past as she pondered and when she looked up, daylight was beginning to flood into the cabin. She slid across the cot and leaned into the wall so that her nose pressed against the glass of the tiny window.
The blackness of space had given way to the hazy atmosphere of a planet. They rapidly descended through huge purple cloud banks until the surface of the planet came into view. Unlike Xieol's home world, which had been green and lush, this world was dominated by grey. The ground was as black as ash, and mountains jutted up towards the sky in every direction. Purple clouds rose up from the mountains into an otherwise clear sky. Two bright suns shone in the distance, once twice the size of the other.
The ship banked as they neared the surface and skimmed so close to one of the mountains that Thalia could almost have reached out and touched it. They zipped around and through the mountain range at breakneck pace before climbing once more. The ship crested the peak of a large mountain, then dipped down below the clouds on the other side. They touched down in an ash covered valley. A cloud of soot flew up at their landing, obscuring Thalia's view.
"Welcome home," Alders said from behind her. Thalia whirled around to find him leaning in the doorway.
"Where?"
"Nilall," He said, "A tiny little volcanic planet. Uninhabited, officially. Unofficially, the only colony of humans left in the universe. Other races too of course. Here."
He tossed a small grey mask onto the cot. She raised an eyebrow.
"Volcanic planet means lots of ash." He said, "Everyone wears a mask on the surface. Otherwise, the atmosphere is safe. You can take it off once we get inside."
"Inside where?" She asked. The mask had small loops on either side. She slipped her ears into them and pulled the fabric across her mouth and nose. Outside, the planet seemed just as desolate as it had before. No sign of life anywhere as far as she could see.
"You can bring the gun if it makes you feel safer." He said. "But you won't need it where we're going. No one would risk upsetting them that way."
"Who?" She asked as she rose off the bed. She tugged at the hem of the shirt she wore, making sure all of her was covered. She glanced around the floor, but her beautiful, savior of a gown had vanished.
"You'll see." With a smirk, he stood back from the door and gestured to the hall beyond.
With another tug at the shirt, she walked out into the hall. They wound their way through the empty halls until they reached the docking bay. Here people of all races were gathering up crates and unloading them onto the surface. Most of the men moving the large boxes down the ramp looked like Alders, human. A few of them had pink skin, however, and one had an enormous set of tusks. She made sure to steer clear of him.
"Racist?" He asked, noting how she skirted away from a green man with four arms. "I wouldn't have expected that."
"My last experience with aliens didn't end well." Her cheeks burned. "I feel better around humans."
"A misplaced trust," Alders said, "Humans are so rare now that we're jumpy. A human's more likely to slit your throat than trust you. Most aliens will at least ask a few questions first."
They left the crew behind to unpack and trudged off towards a bleak mountain top that looked like all the rest. The incline was steep. Thalia's breath came in puffs behind her mask, then in gasps.
"Out of shape?" The captain barked a laugh.
"Maybe." She puffed and braced an arm on her hip. "You are making me walk up a mountain."
He only smiled and reached out to steady her on a particularly steep part of the incline. She recoiled so severely she almost lost her footing entirely. The laughter died in Alders' eyes.
"Thalia," He said, "I'm sorry. I wasn't—"
"No," She said, "It's okay."
Now her face was red from more than just the exercise. She took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. Alders had been nothing but kind to her. She was better than this. Better than a mouse that shrunk at shadows. She gave her head a shake, pushed her hair out of her eyes and forced herself to take a step closer to the captain.
He took a cautious step away and she sighed.
"So where are we going anyway?" Thalia asked, more to dispel the lingering awkwardness than for any other reason.
"Like I said: home."
A few steps later, they crested a ridge. The purple mist cleared just enough to reveal a deep crater where the top of the mountain should have been. It spread out miles in either direction in a lush, green valley. A large lake sparkled in the center.
"It's beautiful." She whispered
"It's safe," He said quietly, "You will be safe here, Thalia, I promise you."
She met his dark brown eyes for a moment. A strange hope rose in her gut. It felt like forever since she had felt safe, and if she had ever had a home, she couldn't remember it. With a deep steadying breath, Thalia reached out her hand towards Alders. The tiniest hint of a smile touched his lips as he wrapped his fingers around hers and they began their descent. Together they climbed down the incline into the crater.
The lower they went, the more signs of life emerged. First it was the way the branches were trimmed back, then a path emerged and, finally, the soot-covered roofs of a village appeared. Their mossy path winded through the trees until it brought them almost to the doorstep of the first small house. It was a crude structure, the walls made of mud and the thatched roof covered in soot. Thalia wouldn't have traded the sight for the world.
Alders gave her a reassuring smile and led her deeper into the village. Finally, he stopped at a large hut in the center of the village near the lake. After a reassuring squeeze, he let go of her hand to knock on the door. Thalia felt a keen loss at that, but she wasn't sure what to do with the emotion.
Almost as soon as he knocked, the door flew open. Silence fell over the crowded mass within the hut. For a spilt second, over a dozen pairs of eyes stared questioningly at Thalia. Shorter members of the group stood up on their tip-toes to see her. There was a collective inhale, and suddenly the group surged towards the door. A tidal wave of exclamations and questions enveloped Thalia, so that she felt she might be washed away by them.
Alders raised a hand before him, and the crowd paused. His other hand gave a gentle push on Thalia's back, so that she stepped fully into the room. He pulled the door closed behind them and pulled down his mask so that it hung about his throat. Numbly, Thalia did the same
"Where is Tadak?" Alders asked, his voice large and commanding in the crowded hut.
For a moment, all was quiet. Then, a small girl near the front of the group spoke up.
"In the caves."
