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Wishing Stars Ch. 01

By: NeverEvers



Thalia was woken by the sudden blaring of a horn, followed swiftly by the flashing of a red light. Alarmed, she flew from her bed but stumbled half-way to the door of her compartment as the room seemed to shift violently to the left. Groggy and disoriented, she regained her footing just as the emergency lights blinked on overhead and a robotic voice began to sound throughout the room.

"Remain calm, make your way to the sanctuary. Please remain calm, make your way to the sanctuary—"

Her door opened on its own, and she saw that the hallway was already filling with the other girls. Some seemed still half-asleep, clutching their robes about them in confusion. Most seemed intent on panicking.

"Make your way to the sanctuary—"

"The ship is crashing!" A shrill, human voice drowned out the robotic one.

"We are all to die!" Someone else added. 

"Please remain calm, make your way—"

"Come on, then!" Thalia yelled into the mass of nightgown and robes. She elbowed her way out into the hall and was relieved to find that the mass of humanity was actually moving in the correct direction. The more hysterical girls were being pulled to their feet and ushered along by their cooler headed friends. 

While there were still agonized declarations of impending doom, the floor did cease rocking and the alarms suddenly shut off. The normal overhead lighting blinked back to life, the emergency lights extinguished. 

"Make your way to the sanctuary," The robotic voice repeated above them, but even it seemed relieved. 

In a matter of moments Thalia and the other girls had found the stairs leading down into the heart of the ship. It took nearly ten minutes for the swirling mass of humanity to travel down the spiral staircase. As soon as the last trembling girl, her face nearly white as a sheet, left the bottom step, the voice instructed them to stand back. The door at the top of the stairs slammed shut, and a lock clicked loudly into place. A second door slid from the wall and sealed off the stairs completely. 

Everyone seemed to take a deep breath at the same time. The sanctuary was the safest place they knew of. With the doors closed it was a seamless circular room, airtight with thick walls to protect them. There were padded benches with in rows throughout the middle of the large room, each with various straps that could be secured in case of turbulence. 

Many girls had collapsed onto the benches, the sudden fright sapping the energy from them, but only one girl had the presence of mind to secure herself with the straps. 

Thalia remained standing near the wall, twitchy with anxiety. While it was all well and good to be secured away, to be safe, she wanted to know what was happening. Aside from a few violent shakes, what was there to hide from? Certainly they had experienced worse turbulence than this before. Why the need to frighten everyone with the alarm? 

Certainly a few jolts of turbulence would have woken Thalia, but she normally would not have given it a second thought. Was the danger still imminent? 

Everyone else seemed to be calming down. A few even let out nervous laughter and began to mock each other over the faces they had made in their fright. What a good laugh, some said, to be so scared for no reason. Others bemoaned tears in their nightclothes, and scrapes on their arms attained during their hurry to safety. 

In all fifty of them, it seemed Thalia was the only girl still on edge. They had never been needlessly alarmed in such a way before. The crew had yet to appear to console them. Surely they would have come to apologize for the false alarm by now? 

Unless, Thalia mused as she eyed the solid white walls, the crew was still engaged in maintaining their safety. 

"Didn't the gearmen hear the alarms?" One of the girls had broken from the group and come to stand with Thalia. "Or did they do this as some kind of joke, you think?"

Thalia snorted and relaxed slightly. "A gearman with a sense of humor?" she returned, looking up at her friend.

Abigail was a good six inches taller than Thalia's five feet and two inches. Both girls had white, nearly translucently pale skin, like the rest of the girls. They had all been raised inside this ship, and kept from windows less the harsh rays of a sun tarnish their complexion. Aside from their skin, Abigail and Thalia looked nothing alike. Abigail was tall and willowy. Her hair was the color of gold. 

Thalia was the nearly the shortest girl on the ship, despite being among the eldest. She was shapely as well, with a trim waist and softly flaring hips. Although they all ate the same food in the same quantities, she had simply become fleshy in areas that her slim friend had not. It was not something that bothered her, however. Each girl in the group was unique in some way. It was the only way that Thalia could be certain that they were not all the same person. 

The crew of the ship—the gearmen, as the girls called them—provided the girls with everything necessary for life, if not for comfort. Their belongings were minimal. Each owned a few white nightgowns, a white robe, some identical white dresses in their size and dainty white slippers for walking the ship's halls. In such a sterile, boring environment, they had quickly begun to celebrate differences they saw in each other. Abigail's height, Rhonda's fabulously blue eyes, and the shocking orange color of Zia's hair were all fawned over in turn. 

Compared to them, Thalia found her coloring quite boring. Her hair was pitch-black, the color of night in a windowless place, and it only seemed to make her white skin stand out in stark contrast. Although her eyes were blue, they were not brilliantly so like Rhonda's. Thalia's eyes were a cool, pale blue, and did not elicit much excitement among the other girls. 

Without warning, the wall leading to the stairs slid open, and the robotic voice politely asked them to return to their beds. No reason for the event was given.

"Must've been a false alarm," Abigail shrugged and, with a yawn, headed back up the stairs with the rest of the girls.

Thalia remained behind. She was annoyed at being woken for no reason. The palms of her hands still prickled with tension. While her adrenaline had waned, it was not gone entirely. She wanted answers.

So she waited.

Not long after the room had emptied, a gearman stepped into the room. He was exactly six feet tall, as all the gearmen were, with golden mechanisms whirring about inside of him. In the place of skin, he had a hard, translucent casing that reflected light. A golden, robotic skeleton incased in a glasslike container. There could be no confusing him with a living being.

"Return to your room please, miss." He said, his robotic voice almost chipper. If it weren't for the quiet beeps and whirring noises issuing from his body, she could almost have thought he sounded human. 

"What happened?" She returned, planting her feet. "Why did we all have to come down here?"

"You will know what you are meant to know." He returned, pleasant as ever. "I will escort you." With that his cold fingers wrapped around her upper arm. While not painful, his grip was firm.

Thalia shivered, and allowed him to tow her towards the stairs. She hated when they touched her.

"Where are we?" She tried. All the gearmen looked exactly alike and spoke identically. Each also answered her questions im exactly the same way. She had been asking the same questions for years, but never gave up hope of receiving a different answer. Or maybe, just hearing it one more time would help her understand.

"We are aboard Human Quarantine Ship X33465. Currently docked indefinitely in deep space." No new information there.

"How did I get here?" She asked, as they emerged at the top of the stairs and the gearman tugged her toward her room. 

"You were brought here by shuttle." He returned easily.

Glints of light caught her eye, and she turned her head just in time to see a Gearman returning another girl to her room. Unlike Thalia, this girl was crying and fighting. She was young, Thalia thought, maybe only ten years old. 

Thalia had never seen her before.

In the chaos of the emergency, a new girl had appeared. Did that mean another had gone? That was how it had always worked in the past, but she had not seen anyone taken from the sanctuary. Surely the group would have noticed if one of their own simply vanished from their midst? 

"Where do you take the girls?" Thalia asked quickly. The door to her room was looming nearer, and she felt even more desperate for answers than she usually was. "Why do you bring them here and then take them away?"

The door to her room automatically snapped inward when they stood before it, and the gearman gave her a gentle push across the threshold. 

"You know what you are meant to know. Now, please sleep, miss." 

"No!" She grabbed his arm when he released her. "Where did we come from? Where are you sending us? Please!"

"You are hysterical." He informed her in his pleasant voice, and she realized that she was.

Her chest was locked in a ball of anxiety, she felt her breath beginning to come in gasps. Stress and fear were slowly strangling her. The urge to scream began to build, and her eyes started to water with the strain of keeping it inside. And then the floor was gone from beneath her, and the gearman's cold arms were around her. His touch made her nauseous.

"Now, you will sleep, miss," He said as he laid her down on her bed. She knew what was coming, but she still didn't react fast enough to stop him. A needle slid from the tip of his finger into her skin. She barely registered the sting of it before sleep claimed her.

Wishing Stars Ch. 02



Thalia drifted up toward consciousness slowly. It had been a deep-dreamless sleep. The same as it always was when they drugged her. The first thing she felt was a dull anger, both at herself for losing control of her emotions and at the gearmen for being...well, like they always were. 

The bright white of the room hurt her eyes, her head felt like it was full of cotton. It must be late in the morning if the lights were already so bright. Clearly it was past the time she should be up, on the way to breakfast. She could even hear the footsteps of the other girls passing by her door. Somewhere in the distance, someone laughed. She knew she was risking another encounter with the crew by staying in bed so long, but she couldn't bring herself to care too much. He must have given her something to quell her frazzled nerves, along with the drug to make her sleep.

She pressed her eyes closed and tried to focus on what she knew, instead of worrying about all the things she didn't. Although the gearmen were largely unhelpful, at least they were always honest. Well, as far as she knew.

She had been brought to Human Quarantine Ship X33465 by a shuttle when she was nine years old. There were fifty human girls housed here at all times. If a new girl appeared, an older girl disappeared. Every new girl was disoriented and afraid. None of them knew where they had come from. Their memories had been wiped clean. The gearmen answered most of their early questions by producing instructional discs. While factual, these discs were not overly helpful in quelling the girls' emotions. 

The discs instructed the girls on what they were—human. Basic human needs were outlined and explained. They were assured that all of their needs would be met and all that was asked of them was patience and obedience until they were relocated. 

That was all they knew. 

The door to Thalia's room opened with its characteristic snap and she glared up at the ceiling.

"It is important that you eat." The familiar voice chirped. After a moment of silence, and no movement from Thalia, the gearman added: "Do you require assistance?"

That was as close to a threat as the gearmen came. Thalia nearly flung herself from the bed, and became instantly dizzy. When a clear, whirring hand reached out to steady her, she stumbled back into the wall to avoid contact with it.

"No," She answered, glaring at him angrily as she righted herself. "I don't need you to force feed me, or drag me to the dining room. I just need you to get out of my way!"

"You must eat." He responded, but backed out of the room to give her some space. "I will wait while you change. Unless you require assistance?"

She slammed the door in his face, but quickly went about dressing. The gearmen were not known for their patience and the thought of his cold hands dressing her made her shudder. Her nightgown was abandoned on the floor and she pulled a clean dress over her head. It was white, like everything else, with a lacey hem poofing out around her knees. A human dressing disc had explained it was called an A-line, and had been picked as it was sure to flatter all human body types. 

Thalia hated it.

The gearman was waiting when she exited the room but thankfully remained silent as he followed her to the center room of the ship. The cafeteria was still very busy, but most girls had already finished eating. Feeling the gearman at her back, Thalia sat without comment. He quickly retreated and was replaced by an identical crew member who sat a dish on the table before her and bid her eat. 

She picked up her spoon and the gearman left.

Thalia ate the mush without really noticing it. It hadn't gotten any better tasting, she had just gotten better at ignoring it. The mush was perfectly nutritional, a balance of every little thing her body needed to be healthy. To expect something that tasted good, or had any personality to it, was ridiculous. 

Most of the girls were crowded around the new girl, attempting to comfort her. From what Thalia overheard, she had been convinced to stay in bed without being drugged. This morning, however, she had been unable to stomach the foul taste of the mush. The gearmen had assisted by force feeding her.

"It's important that you eat," One of the other girls, Brittany, said while petting the new arrival's hair in a comforting way, "You have to keep up your strength."

Thalia laughed suddenly, and choked on her mush. A gearman appeared with a glass of water but she waved him away and swallowed again. Every eye had turned to her.

"You have to be kidding me," She said, when she could speak, "You sound like one of the clock-work boys." She nodded her head toward the gearmen. "The only reason you should eat is because if you don't, they'll make you. Just like everything else."

The new girl began to cry again, and the grouped tightened around her. While everyone else shushed, and cooed, Brittany stood and faced Thalia.

"There's no point in scaring her!" She said. Her hands were clenched into fists. "She needs to learn to take care of herself, so that they will leave her alone." 

"And," a small voice came from the middle of the girls, "If I stay strong...maybe I can escape?"

The group slowly leaned back from her, their expressions grave. Some glanced at one another, at a loss, others looked like they might cry themselves. 

"Oh, Sweetheart..." Brittany began, turning toward the nine year-old, and then stopped when her eyes fell on the small, tear-stained face. Even she was at a loss.

The small girl seemed to understand, and lowered her eyes. Everyone was silent again. Thalia swore she could hear the whirring of the gearmen, watching them. She started talking, if only to drown out that sound.

"So, who was it this time?" She glanced around the room. A couple of girls were missing, but they could have just returned to their rooms after breakfast. They had all been clustered together last night, after all, so maybe no one had even been taken.

"Abigail," Brittany said quietly, and lowered her gaze when Thalia's eyes locked onto her. 

Grief welled up inside her. Her closest friend. The one who had comforted her when she first woke in this terrible place—gone. Just gone, with no explanation. No one even thought to ask the gearmen, as they knew the answer would be that she had been "relocated". Whatever that meant.

For once, Thalia dared to hope that relocation was a good thing. She couldn't seem to convince herself, though. 

Everyone turned back to the new girl, who revealed that her name was Emily. There was much fawning over her soft brown eyes and the slight curl to her hair. When she asked about Abigail, the group quickly guided her back into safer territory. Abigail was a wonderful person, they said, but Emily was not going to meet here. She was gone. 

Brittany took the seat beside Thalia and the two sat together in silence for a moment. It was the first time Thalia had ever been grateful for the other girl's company.

"You seem...calm?" Brittany asked, breaking the peace. Thalia sighed.

"I panicked last night, they gave me something," She said. "So, it's one of us next, right?"

"What?" Brittany actually seemed surprised by the question.

"Abigail was a year older than us." It was still hard to say her name, knowing she would never see her again, "We're both eighteen. They could take us any day now."

"They don't always take the oldest!" Brittany was clearly alarmed. "And I won't be eighteen for another week. And—"Her eyes flashed around to make sure no one was paying attention, "There's always Sasha."

Thalia snorted.

Sasha had been present for as long as anyone could remember. That meant she had to be at least twenty-two. She had also been bedridden for as long as Thalia had been on the ship. She had suffered a severe break-down upon being brought aboard, or so the story went. The gearmen kept her alive by feeding her with tubes, and kept her clean by washing her with a rag. They went so far as to play the educational discs in her room. But Sasha never took her blank eyes from the ceiling. Something deep inside of her had broken. Now she felt nothing, did nothing, like a gearman someone had turned off.

Some days, Thalia was almost jealous of her. Almost.

"If they wanted her, they would have taken her by now, I suppose." Brittany mused, unsettled by Thalia's silence. 

"I suppose," She replied, but more in mockery than in assent. 

Two gearmen were stationed on either side of the door to the cafeteria, the same as every morning. Each held a small black pen. As each girl passed them, she would extend her arm and they would press a pen to her skin. With a small beep, it would take a tiny blood sample. To assure their health, was the only answer the gearmen would give. It didn't hurt after the hundredth time. 

Thalia and Brittany were soon the only two remaining. Suddenly feeling uneasy in each other's company, they exchanged farewells. As they left, both extended their arm. The gearmen both drew their sample and the girls passed by. 

Something began to beep. 

Curious, Thalia turned to see the gearman that had just pricked her arm look down at his pen. There was a green light blinking near the top, and it was emitting a soft beep every half second. The gearman looked as if he would have been surprised, if he was capable of emotions.

The gearman opened a small compartment in the wall that Thalia had never noticed before. He slid the pen into the opening, and it shot directly up, as if in a suction tube. The other gearman handed him a new pen, and they resumed their positions as of nothing had happened.

"Well, that's new," Thalia said, unsure whether to be curious or alarmed. Nothing new ever happened here, ever.

"Maybe you broke it," Brittany said uneasily, and forced herself to swallow, "Your blood got too toxic with sarcasm, or something," 

"I bet that's it," Thalia agreed, although she was anything but decided on the topic. "I'm glad that it... it broke. Nothing around here ever does,"

With that, they quickly hurried away, unease growing between them. Neither brought up the incident with the pen again. When they parted near Brittany's room, their eyes met and they silently agreed not to mention it to the others. There was no reason to alarm everyone. Especially not after the night before.



Wishing Stars Ch. 03



Thalia was woken by the sound of her door opening. She blinked in the darkness, confused. The gearmen had the lights timed to mimic the sunlight on their home planet. When it was dark, the girls were required to sleep. For their health, of course. No one had ever entered her room while it was dark before.

"Hello?" She asked, trying to make out shapes in the total dark. Maybe she had imagined the noise. 

"Hello," A deep voice responded.

The lights overhead came on. Instead of building slowly like normal, they blinked on in all of their full noontime glory. Thalia threw her arm across her eyes while they adjusted. Her breathing started to come fast.

"Who is there?" She asked, trying to stay calm. This was new. This had never happened before. She could not panic. She did not want to be drugged again. Her voice was strained by the sudden stress developing in her body. "What do you want?"

There was a soft, deep chuckle, and the breath caught in her throat. Adrenaline began to pump through her veins. Gearmen had soft, kind voices, almost the pitch of an alto. And they did not laugh.

She squinted her eyes in the brightness, trying to locate the man—a man!—in her room. Moving as slowly as possible, she shifted her legs beneath the blankets. They were off the side, the tips of her toes just brushing the floor, when he responded.

"It is not what I want that matters," His voice was in a different place now. He was moving around the bed! "It is what my prince wants."

"And who," She asked, quickly rising to her feet and dropping her arm, "Is your—"

It was not a man. It was a thing, a creature. And it was much closer to her than she had thought.

Thalia scrambled back from it, and in her haste ended up sprawling backwards on the bed. Keeping her eyes locked on the creature, she quickly crawled backwards and stood again, putting the bed between them.

The creature laughed. 

She was frozen there, staring at him. His skin was perfectly white, like polished marble. Big, bulging muscles strained beneath his skin, as if they would tear through at any second. The only covering he wore was a white cloth wrapped intricately about his middle. He loomed over her, over everything in her small room. His head had less than a foot of clearance, and the ceiling was at least eight feet high.

And his head! It was too large for his body, bulbous, almost. He was completely bald, and he had huge, deep set black eyes that seemed to bore into her. He had no nose, just two inch long slits above harsh, black lips. 

Before she realized she was backing away, she bumped into the wall. She was stuck, no escape from the thing. So she did the one thing she had once sworn never to do.

She screamed for the gearmen. 

Two appeared in the doorway almost immediately, and she ran towards them. The first one she came to caught her by the upper arms and spun her around, so that she was still facing the thing. She begged the gearman holding her to let her go. She pleaded with the one beside him, blocking the door. She would be good. She would do whatever they wanted. Just, please, help her!

They ignored her completely, and instead looked to the creature.

"May we assist you, General Thruk?" 

"No," The creature chuckled again, and little flecks of pink danced across his chest, as if he was blushing. "I guess it's too late for that. I see you have not been educating them properly, unless this one is just surprisingly dense?"

"Thalia is of moderate intelligence for her species," The gearman holding her chirped happily. Had it not been for the frightening creature in her bedroom, Thalia might have taken offense. Given the situation, she let it go.

"We were instructed not to educate the vessels on other species after a particular incident with a very promising vessel." The other gearman finished, and the creature sighed. "The General did not want to render them all comatose, when they could be of other use."

Comatose? Did he mean Sasha?

"Yes, yes," The creature—General- waved his hand at this idea, dismissing it. "Well, she seems calm enough now. Let us get on with it. We have a long way to travel and the Prince is not known for patience."

"No!" Thalia shrieked and dug in her heels as the gearman started drawing her backwards, through the door. "I'll scream, I'll wake everyone!"

The General made a flicking motion with his wrist, and the gearmen ceased dragging her. Her arms were still locked in their grips, and she was unable to pull away as the creature approached her.

"Oh, small one," He raised a long, white finger and let the nail drag along her jaw line. The pointed tip cut the skin like a thin razor, and a single drop of blood trailed down her neck. "Everyone is already awake and ready to see you off."

She stared at him, uncomprehending. He flicked his hand once more and the gearmen resumed dragging her backwards. She was nothing against their unhuman strength. Struggle as she might, she could not gain a fraction of freedom. 

Finally she raised her eyes and found the General watching her struggling intently. His chest was glowing pink again, but now small specks of green had appeared as well. A small part of Thalia desperately wanted to ask him about the colors, but the rest of her was busy recognizing the look in his eyes.

He was enjoying this. 

The realization hit her like a bucket of cold water, and she went limp in the gearmen's grasp. They did not seem to notice, and dragged her body forward through the ship without a change in pace. 

The General, however, frowned slightly. The pink on his chest faded away, replaced by clouds of grey. Small dots of stormy grey and black began to appear near his eyes as well. Thalia tried to focus on them, to discern what they meant, but eventually she gave in to the sheer horror of his face and looked away. 

The girls were all standing near the hidden stairway that led down to the sanctuary. They were all in rumpled nightgowns, with tousled hair. Fear seemed to ooze from their pores. The air was thick with it. Many of the girls were being held in place by the firm grasps of the gearmen. 

When the General rounded the corner, screams echoed down the hall. Thalia winced, and looked over just in time to see the little girl, Emily, break from the group and attempt to run. A gearman was on her in seconds, and pressed a needle into her arm. The small girl collapsed to the floor. 

Thalia wanted to scream, but her throat was raw. Her chest was so tight that breathing became a chore.

The General gestured, and the wall opposite the hidden stairs slid open. Within was a giant room that she was sure none of them had seen before. It was a docking bay. A large ship was docked there, waiting. Thalia heard the engine roar to life and a gangplank was lowered. Gearmen were everywhere, turning various knobs and staring intently at strange writing as it flashed across a wall of computer screens. 

This was wrong. When a girl was taken, it was swiftly, silently. No one was present. No one was forced to watch. There were no creatures leering at everyone. This was not how it worked. Everything always happened the same way here, every single day was the same.

Until today. 

The gearmen steered Thalia up the gangplank, into the enormous beast of a ship. She stumbled to get her feet below her, struggled to get air into her lungs. Dark spots began to form at the edges of her vision. Through the ringing in her ears, she heard the General begin to laugh again. 

"Bid goodbye to your Princess, ladies," He called to the girls, "You will never see her again."

Without the aid of needles, Thalia lost consciousness.



Wishing Stars Ch. 04



4.

Thalia woke to the unusual sensation of someone stroking her hair. Groaning, she tried to bat the offending hand away, only to find her arm restrained. She tried the other, and it too refused to budge. When her legs wouldn't move either, panic roused her fully. Her eyes flew open and swept the room in confusion. Her chapped lips parted to scream—

The hand that had previously been petting her hair clapped down over her mouth.

"Easy," A familiar voice said, "You're going to be okay, Thalia. Just stay calm and they will let you stay conscious. I need to talk to you."

That voice was so familiar, but Thalia didn't dare allow herself to recognize it. Her head was restrained in some way, and she couldn't turn to look at the speaker.

When Abigail's warm green eyes appeared above her, Thalia felt tears leak from the corner of her eyes and run into the hair at her temples. 

"Shssh," Abigail cooed, and she returned to stroking Thalia's hair. "Everything is going to be fine."

"You were gone," Thalia choked, "They took you away."

"I know, sweetheart," The older girl soothed. "But they let me come talk to you. I told them we were friends, and you would listen to me. Will you?"

"Yes," Thalia responded, and took a deep breath to stop her crying. She tensed each part of her body in turn, pulling hard against each restraint. None of them so much as budged. "What choice do I have, anyway?"

Abigail sighed. "You don't even remember, do you?"

"Remember what?" Thalia snapped, suddenly tired with how calm Abigail seemed. Hadn't they both just been snatched away from the only life they knew? And now they were somewhere, God knew where, with a strange creature that could want nothing pleasant from them! Not to mention being tied to a bed—

"Wait," Her eyes flicked around, seeking out her friend's, "Why aren't you tied down too?"

"I was, for a while," Abigail's voice was further away now. Thalia heard the sound of a door being opened, and her friend whispered something unintelligible to someone Thalia could not see. 

Before Thalia could panic that she was being left alone, her friend's face returned above her. The whirring of gearmen was the only warning Thalia had before her restraints suddenly retracted into the bed, freeing her.

"Easy," Abigail pressed a hand onto each of Thalia's shoulders when she would have risen. "You've been lying down for a long time. Take it slow."

With Abigail's help, Thalia slowly rose to a sitting position on the bed. Blood pounded in her head and her eyes went dark for a moment. Then, slowly, the room seemed to stabilize before her. 

It was a small, sterile looking room. There were windows set into each of the walls, through which Thalia could see gearmen milling about in a larger room. The bed was more of a medical gurney than an actual bed, now that she could look down at it. Everything was white, of course.

"How long was I out?" Thalia asked, and her eyes fell on a small white table nearby. Tubes of various sizes were laid out neatly. She swallowed and felt the tell-tale scrape in her throat. "They fed me?"

"They had to," Abigail returned, looking almost ashamed. "You collapsed when they brought you on board. Each time you woke, you would thrash and scream. It was terrible. They were afraid you were going to hurt yourself. Sedating you was the best option. I had no idea they were going to put you under for a month—"

"A month!" Thalia screamed. Beeps began to sound from all corners of the room, and a gearman appeared in the doorway.

"Do you require assistance, Lady Abigail?" He asked, and glanced at a monitor set in the wall. The beeping stopped when he pressed a button nearby. "It is important her heartrate does not increase further."

"For my health, of course." Thalia mocked, and laid back down on the bed. "Go away!" She threw the words at the gearman, "I'll be calmer without the sound of you whirring around!"

"Yes, Princess," The gearman responded, and promptly left.

Total silence filled the room for a split second, and then it shattered.

"What?!" Thalia yelled. She bounded to her feet before Abigail could catch her. She stumbled forward, trying to remain upright, and grabbed onto the white table near the bed for support. Her legs felt so weak. "Princess?" 

The word was almost drowned out by the beeping coming from that damn panel. The one monitoring her heart. She whirled to face Abigail again, and shouted over the sound of the alarms of various pieces of medical equipment.

"Princess?" She yelled at her friend, "Lady?" 

Gearmen appeared in the doorway, but she screamed at them to leave. To her surprise, they did. The last one to exit flipped a small switch near the door, and all of the medical equipment went silent again.

Abigail was looking at her with wide eyes. 

"I was trying to explain." Her friend said, and she looked like she might cry. 

"Then explain!" Thalia demanded.

"It's so much to tell!" Abigail returned, "Please, I'm still trying to get used to it myself. Please, Thalia, just give me a second to think!"

"Fine, think," Thalia responded, her voice bitter. Her legs were shaking, but she did not want to return to the bed they had strapped her to. Instead, she ran her arm across the table top, taking pleasure as all the sterile tubes crashed against the floor. With some effort, she hoisted herself atop the table in a sitting position and leaned her back against the wall. Once settled, she looked to Abigail expectantly.

"When they took me," Abigail started slowly, "There was no one to explain this all to me. I had to figure it out as I went. It took a couple days before I worked up the nerve to ask General Thruk anything. He can be so terrifying." She swallowed deeply.

"But when I finally did, he told me that they had taken me from the ship because they had found a mate for me—a husband I was compatible with. I was given to Thruk by the Arktzirax government, as a reward for his years of dedicated service. It is the highest honor the Arktzirax can bestow, although there is still no guarantee that General Thruk and I will be able to have children—"

"Children? With the--" Thalia interrupted, dumbfounded. "Arka-thoraxis? What are you talking about? You're married? To the General?"

"Yes," Abigail lowered her eyes, and responded in a monotone voice, "It is a great honor to be chosen for him. I am very grateful. Thruk has made sure I am aware of how lucky I am."

"You sound like a gearman," Thalia returned, alarmed. Her friend had obviously been through a lot. She suddenly felt guilty for being so angry with her earlier. "What did they do to you?"

"They," Her friend began, then took a deep breath and started over. This time she sounded more like her old self. "They are called the Arktzirax. They are our sovereign rulers. Our planet was conquered by them many generations ago. We have been kept isolated for our own good, to keep our species alive."

"Why?" Thalia asked cautiously, afraid of the answer. 

"Because they need compatible species," Abigail answered, looking down at the fabric of her dress and pulling at a stray string. Anything to avoid Thalia's eyes. "The female Arktzirax went extinct a long time ago. To survive, they have conquered most of this galaxy, searching for mates to bare their offspring. They call us vessels."

"And the races that aren't compatible?" Thalia asked quietly, she clenched her hands into a fist in her lap to keep them from shaking, "And the men? What do they do with them?"

"Eliminated," Abigail returned sadly, "Save a few taken for slave labor, and for breeding purposes."

"Breeding?" Thalia asked, confused, "But you said if they weren't compatible—"

"Not every member of a compatible species is capable of bearing offspring with an Arktzirax." Her friend interrupted. "They have developed testing that allows them to determine which females are the most compatible, but they have not been able to isolate a particular gene that explains why one would be a successful vessel and another would not. Compatibility is more of a spectrum than a simple yes or no. To keep a supply of potential vessels on hand, they must constantly have access to new humans to test."

"So they keep humans locked away somewhere? Force them to breed?" Thalia was surprised by the calm in her body. It seemed that she could only be so frightened before the fear turned to numbness, "Why not just make their own children breed? If they made enough using...vessels... they could restart their species and let us go!"

"Yes," Abigail nodded, "Thruk said that was originally the plan. However, there has never been a female child born to an Arktzirax and a vessel. Their species is still completely male. Without the vessels, they would go extinct. So they search the galaxies and enslave other races, until they achieve the ultimate goal: a female Arktzirax child."

"That's terrible." Thalia responded, after a moment. The entire idea was so revolting, she could hardly fathom it. "So the blood testing—"

"Tests the compatibility and sexual maturity of a vessel." Abigail's voice was monotone once again, she was retreating deep within herself, "When they are deemed to be at their peak of fertility, they are taken and assigned a mate. Either as a gift of the government, or sold to the highest bidder. Those that never reach this point and remain below fifty-percent compatibility, are returned to the breeding program in hopes that the next generation will be more compatible."

"And when they took my blood..." Thalia began, but couldn't bring herself to finish. She remembered the looks of almost-surprise on the gearmen's faces, the beeping of the pen. The General's voice rang in her ears, calling her princess.

"From what they can tell," Abigail said slowly, watching Thalia's face intently for any signs of renewed panic, "You are as close to a complete match as they have ever seen. The King has designated you as a—a gift—for the Crown Prince."

"The..." Thalia started, but her voice failed her. She attempted to clear it, but was unable to get the rising terror from building a solid lump in her throat.

"Well said," The General's voice came from the doorway, and Abigail jumped to her feet in surprise. Her friend didn't even look up at her husband. Instead Abigail stood still as a statue, her hands clasped before her. Her head was lowered so that her eyes could study the ground intently.

"You have learned much here," The General continued, although he did not sound completely happy about it. Swirls of grey began to appear on his chest. "Although, I do not remember giving you permission to divulge this information to the Princess."

Thalia murmured something, and his large head snapped toward her.

"Well," He prompted, his dark eyes boring into her, "What have you to say?"

"I...I asked her," Thalia forced out. She tried to meet his gaze, but lost her nerve and returned it to the floor. "And," She continued, voice shaking only slightly, "If I'm going to be a Princess, isn't she supposed to do what I say?"

"No." He responded, and crossed his thick white arms across his chest, "My mate answers only to me. She only stands there breathing because I allow it. I have the right to tell her to stop even that and, under the law, she would obey. Shall we try it?"

Abigail's face had gone as white as her husbands, but she made no sound. Her eyes never left the floor.

"That's ridiculous!" Thalia exclaimed, rising to her feet. Her fury seemed to drown out some of the fear the General inspired. "She is a person, not a puppet that you can tell what to do and say!" 

"Is that so?" He asked.

In her anger, Thalia had taken a few steps towards the General. She only realized her error when he reached out and trailed the tip of his finger along her cheek bone. Afraid that he would cut her again, Thalia stumbled backward violently and went tumbling to the floor.

The General let out a deep laugh, and pink rose on his chest, chasing away the grey. Specks of green appeared again as he let his black eyes trail over her. His eyes paused for a moment on her breasts, which were heaving beneath her nightgown with her panic. One corner of his mouth pulled up in a smile, and his teeth flashed a severe white against the black skin of his lips.

"Your words say one thing, Princess," He murmured, still smiling, "Yet, your body already appears to be learning. Human fear is such a handy thing. You should listen to it, instead of trying to defeat it. Like pain, it is your body's way of telling you what is and what is not safe."

He returned his gaze to Thalia's face, and she forced herself to meet his eyes. The fear he inspired was so intense, her mind went completely blank. She had no doubt that this creature could end her. He could crush her beneath his fist and she would be nothing but a streak on the perfectly white floor.

And he would enjoy it.

"I advise you learn to keep that mouth of yours shut, Princess," The General continued, still smiling, "It is the wish of everyone here that you remain as safe as possible until you can be delivered into the arms of His Highness. After that, only he will have to spare a thought in regards to your safety." 

He flicked his hand and Abigail came to his side, her head still bowed low. Her entire body visibly shook when he wrapped one thick arm around her. 

"Make no mistake, Princess," He addressed Thalia as he ran a hand through Abigail's blonde hair. "You are the slave of a very powerful man. That does not make you powerful."

With that, he balled his hand into a fist, causing Abigail to yelp. He kept his fist entangled in her hair as he strood from the room. Abigail had to walk quickly to keep up with his long strides, her head wrenched to the side awkwardly. The door banged shut behind them. 

The sound of the door slamming broke the spell. Thalia lunged to her feet and threw herself against the door, yanking at the handle. Despite her efforts, it would not budge. The terror and anger inside of her broke free, and she screamed as she banged her fists against the door. 

"Stand back, please." A pleasant voice came from the other side of the door, and Thalia stumbled back a few paces so that the door could be opened. Instead of releasing her, however, two gearmen stepped into the room and closed the door behind them. 

"Let me go," She pleaded, although she knew they would not.

"You are hysterical," One gearman said, followed quickly by the other's stating that her breathing was too rapid.

"My heart's beating too fast." She returned, her tone threatened violence, "My breathing is too rapid. I'm panicking, you idiots! I'm scared! I'm not a damned robot!"

"You are human," One gearman stated simply. "Your heart speeds with fear. Your lungs move too rapidly to let you attain adequate oxygen."

"You will lose consciousness soon." The other agreed. "Would you like assistance?"

"I don't want to pass out," She panted, and wrapped her arms tightly around her torso, struggling for breath. 

One gearman stepped forward and held his hand out toward her face. She instinctively flinched. Instead of producing a needle, the end of his finger flipped open. The golden tube that made up the bone of his finger extended and, with an audible hiss, began to produce a mist.

"Inhale, please, Princess," He instructed in his cheery voice.

Although doubting their motives, Thalia had few options. Spots were already forming in her vision. Her legs were becoming heavy beneath her. She leaned forward and inhaled the mist.

Instantly her vision cleared. The tightness in her chest relaxed, and she took a deep breath as her thoughts began to fall back into order. She blinked a few times and looked back at the gearman. He had stepped back to stand beside his colleague.

"Thank you," She said, and her voice was clear. "I didn't know you could do that."

"You are welcome, Princess," The gearman responded politely, "We can assist in many ways, but it is in our programming to ask first."

Thalia thought of all the times the gearmen had offered her assistance. She had always assumed they were offering something forceful and unpleasant. She wondered now how many unnecessary hardships she had suffered, always refusing them.

"If I asked you to stop calling me Princess, would you?" She asked.

"No," The gearman responded. "It is your proper title."

"But I'm not married yet." She said, and was suddenly baffled that her nerves stayed quiet within her. Married, she was going to be married. To an alien. Now, of all times, was the time to panic. Whatever it was the gearman had given her, it definitely had worked. 

"His Majesty has ordained that you will mate with His Highness, the Mighty Prince Xieol," It was the other gearman's turn to speak, "As the King has ordained it, it will come to be. You are our Princess."

"We must go now, Princess." They said in unison. Without another word, they turned and headed toward the door. 

Thalia stood by the bed, confused at their sudden departure. For once conversing with the gearmen had almost been pleasant. Although her nerves had been steadied, she was still uneasy to be left alone. A part of her was relieved when they opened the door and stood back, waiting for her to exit.

"Oh," Thalia said, "You meant, me too?"

They confirmed this in cheery unison, "Yes, Princess".

When she approached the door, one gearman took his place in front of her and bid her follow. As she stepped through the doorway after him, the other gearman took up a place at her back. Although they were each a few paces apart, Thalia felt slightly uncomfortable with the arrangement. It was crowded, and she wanted to look around.

"We must stay together, and move swiftly, Princess," The gearman behind her said. "For your safety, of course."

"Of course," She mimicked dryly. This, at least, was not completely new. The gearmen back on the Quarantine Ship had always carried on about her health in the same manner. It was oddly comforting. 

They marched her quickly through what she came to understand was the medical deck of the ship. She didn't see much aside from the typical white walls and gearmen milling about. As they passed down a white-walled corridor, a thought occurred to her.

"That crea—man," She caught herself just in time, not wanting to insult him in front of what could only be his robotic minions, "He wouldn't hurt Abigail for something I did, would he?"

"No," A Gearman responded, although she wasn't sure which one it had been. She supposed it didn't really matter. 

"General Thruk is one of very few to be assigned a mate," The gearman continued. "If she died, he would not be given another. We prize our vessels above all else, Princess."

"But would he hurt her?" Thalia pressed.

"I do not know, Princess." The gearman responded. "Each man treats his mate differently. Humans are very easily harmed by the Arktzirax, even unintentionally."

While this was intended to comfort her, it didn't. Thruk could do whatever he wanted to Abigail, as long as he didn't kill her, and no one would stop him. Thalia felt the first true pang of anxiety since she had breathed in the relaxing mist. 

After that, they walked in silence. 

They turned a corner and walked into what appeared to be a dead end. Before Thalia could question them, the gearmen walked forward and rapped lightly on the wall at the end of the hallway. Rustling could be heard, before a hidden door snapped open and a woman appeared.

"Welcome!" A portly woman appeared in the doorway, her arms flung dramatically to the side. "I must say it is such an honor, an unbelievable honor, truly, to meet you, Princess!"

Thalia stood where she was, very much taken aback by the woman.

She was human, as far as Thalia could see. Her skin was the pure white of a life spent indoors, but not opaque the way the Arktzirax's had been. Her eyes were a milky grey, set under thick brows. As the woman spun and flounced, unable to contain her joy, Thalia noticed the sagging skin of her underarms bouncing along with the rest of her. 




Wishing Stars Ch. 04



The woman wore a billowing white dress that hung from two tiny, intricately tied white ropes at her neck. Aside from her face and arms, the rest of her body was eaten up by the fabric. Although the sheer quality it took to cover the woman suggested that she was quite large. She had dishwater blonde hair twisted into a knot on the crown of her head, leaving the wrinkles in her neck on full display. 

Noticing Thalia's stare, the woman reached down and smoothed the material of her dress. Not that it improved the picture she made.

"I am so sorry," She continued, obviously trying to get ahold of her enthusiasm, "Where are my manners? I am Elaine!" She threw her arms wide again, and the skin hanging from them went bouncing. "I am honored to be of service to you, Your Highness."

"Please," The younger woman begged, "Call me Thalia, this whole princess thing is completely--"

"Oh my, good Heavens, no!" Elaine threw her arms wide again, "That most certainly, well, it will just not do at all! But such a good, very nice name for you to have, Princess, and I am sure His Mightiness will take great pleasure, as he certainly should, in calling you by it. If that is, of course, what he desires to do!"

Thalia looked back at the gearmen, who were standing silently behind her. Surely, this woman was mad and they would rescue her from this situation.

"You must stay with Lady Elaine," One of them chirped. "We will stand guard while she prepares you."

"Oh!" Elaine squealed, "How fun! To have someone to dress and paint, like my own, my very own little doll!"

"A doll?" Thalia exclaimed. "I don't think—"

"Well of course not, never my doll, darling, dear!" Elaine gripped her wrist and pulled her forward into the room. The door snapped shut behind them.

"But of course we must have you looking presentable, not that you are anything but, and looking nice and put together, without appearing to have tried! No, no, it would not do at all for His Highness to think we had painted you up to be something that you are not, and by all accounts you are, such a beauty! If you don't mind me saying so, that is, my Princess."

She was led further into the smoky room as Elaine continued to chatter away. Foreign smells assaulted her nose. They were not all unpleasant, but they were definitely all very alien to her, and in combination the scent was nearly overwhelming. Thalia's eyes began to water as Elaine guided her to a large, plush chair in the middle of the room. 

"Now, you stop that right now, if you don't mind, my lady," Elaine scolded, seeing her tears, "Heavens know I have a right ton of work to do without your tears drip dropping all my hard work away! Not that it will be overly so much work, you understand, seeing as you are so, so, very lovely. Yet I must stake my poor old reputation not on just your lovely, bright as it is, sweet face, but instead upon my powers to enhance and glorify what was already there! You comprehend, sweet princess, of course you do, how much must ride upon such an important task for an old woman like me!"

Thalia did not understand, but she managed to clear some of the smoke away from her face by waving a hand before it. After a few minutes, her nose seemed to adjust to the foreign smells. She gathered, by listening to Elaine's rambling, that they were exotic perfumes. They had been brought from all over the empire for her to present to the new princess. Each was made from a different flower from a different planet. When smelled one at a time, most actually smelled very nice. 

"I have never smelled a flower before," Thalia commented absently, as she turned the bottle in her hands. The liquid within was a sharp yellow in color, and Thalia found the sight of it splashing against the inside of the amber bottle enchanting. 

"Never smelled a flower!" Elaine exclaimed, and took the bottle from the girl's hands. Elaine picked up a brush and set to work untangling Thalia's waist length black hair. "But of course, you silly thing, to have smelled a flower on a Quarantine Ship or a Breeding Barge! Such a thought! But now, I dare say, Your Highness, you will look forward to smelling much finer things than such a normal, grotesquely simple, really, old weed like that! On a regular, daily basis I would be so inclined to reckon, as I am told, by those I hold in my own high regard, mind you, that His Mightiness the Prince enjoys only the finest things in all the galaxies, as he should, being who he is."

Thalia's mind mulled over what Elaine could have possibly meant by a 'breeding barge', but all of her questions were pushed aside. Elaine only concerned herself with her paints, her perfumes and her fabrics, she told Thalia, and would say no more on the subject.

It seemed the only subject that Elaine did not want to discuss, and at length. Although Thalia quickly realized that her input in the conversation was not required. She allowed herself to slip into a sort of half-trance as the large woman puttered about behind her.

When she had been thoroughly doused with perfume and her hair brushed to Elaine's satisfaction, the older woman brought forth a large pot of white paint. Humming with excitement, she cupped both hands and dipped them into the bucket. She then applied both handfuls to Thalia's hair. 

The paint was sticky, and smelled sour. It was so thick that it completely obscured the black pigment of Thalia's hair. The girl watched the mirror in horror as any speck of black vanished. Elaine was left with a dripping, white sticky mess of hair between her hands. 

"You know that he, being the prince, I mean, knows you are not of his kind. Imagine him mating with you if one of his own kind was to be had! That would be such a laugh, really, not that extinction is anything at all to laugh about. Only the worst among us, the least cultured, would find humor in such a thing! But we cannot think that His Mightiness will not be overly, thoroughly, pleased to see you all done up like those great ladies used to be! Not that I was there, my dear, no, no, even I am not so old! But we are left with their likenesses in murals, paintings and such. It is enough for this old woman to mimic! And so well I would bet my mighty prince might even doubt his highly self, if only a moment, thinking we had captured for him a true Arktzirax mate!"

With that, Elaine gave Thalia's hair a mighty twist, and brought it up over the top of her head so that it lay, curling slightly, on her cheek.

"Isn't that just the loveliest thing!" The large woman exclaimed and came around to the front of the chair. "Now don't go and touch it now, dearest one, the paste must set so that it will hold! Oh, if it were to come apart now, I would be undone! The end of me, to be sure, I would die here on the spot! That would be quite the shock, indeed it would, for you Princess, so I beseech you, please, not to go touch-touching with those dainty fingers of yours!"

Elaine turned her back to her for a moment and returned with more pastes, gels and powders. Thalia sat as still as possible as her hair dried atop her head, the sheer weight of it made her neck begin to ache.

The older woman worked carefully on Thalia's face as she chattered away. The girl had ceased listening. 

White powder was applied to her face, neck and arms to make her skin look as opaque as the general's. Once that was accomplished, Elaine began adding spots of color back. Her chest and cheeks were given a bright pink flush, with yellow swirling through it. Three dots of purple were placed just below one eye. To complete the look, the woman painted Thalia's lips a glossy black.

Clearly pleased with her work, Elaine stood back and fell silent, simply admiring Thalia.

Thalia held her own gaze in the mirror, and could not believe what was reflected there. 

"My hair..." She started, confused, "It looks like a tentacle coming over my head—"

"Yes, yes, indeed, dear one!" Elaine clapped her hands and bounced in place, "You perceive, then, my grand scheme? My plan to top all other works I have ever done, indeed, to top all works done anywhere! You see, child, how much you look Arktzirax!"

No words were forth coming. Thalia simply sat gaping at her bizarre reflection while Elaine disappeared behind her. The door snapped open, and a gearman entered, a large amount of white fabric draped over one arm.

They bid her stand, and Thalia complied without a fuss. Elaine swiftly undid the buttons of her nightgown and shoved it to the floor. The older woman shushed Thalia when she tried to protest, and finally she relented. She stood still as Elaine applied more white powder to every inch of her body.

Soon it was over, and the gearman stepped forward. With the fabric. Thalia was so relieved not to be naked that for once she did not protest the gearman dressing her. He worked efficiently, wrapping the sheer fabric about her in a complicated way that she knew she would never be able to duplicate. When he was finished, he twisted the two remaining ends until they resembled rope and secured them behind her neck. The sheer fabric had transformed into a halter-style dress before her eyes, and yet Thalia had no idea how it had happened.

Elaine was upon her before the gearman had moved completely out of the way. She slipped a dainty golden anklet around Thalia's right ankle before biding the girl to step into a pair of soft white slippers.

The older woman took a step back and sighed, surveying her work. "I do believe I have quite outdone myself, indeed, I do, my dear."

For the first time, she seemed to be waiting for Thalia to respond. All she could manage was a stiff nod. Inside, a small part of Thalia was screaming. She was terrified of the creature she saw in the mirror.



Wishing Stars Ch. 05



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

*****

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.

"And, so, let us take the first step towards our bright future by welcoming Thalia, the new Princess of the Arktzirax!"

Cheers erupted again. The gearmen were suddenly on their feet, nudging her forward. With a deep breath, Thalia managed to slowly walk toward the dais. Each step brought more cheers, and soon the King was looming over her. He extended his hand and, after a prod from the gearman behind her, she gently took it.

King Qutrak pulled her up as if she weighed nothing. His hand dwarfed hers. She was quickly spun to face the room. Everything was a blur of color and sound. It was as if the gravity sickness had returned, only worse.

In what seemed like an overly-grand gesture, the King placed her fingers into his son's hand. The Prince's fingers closed over hers like a vice, and she almost cried out. She looked up into his face and could not believe how tall he was. The top of her head was hardly at his breast. 

He glared down at her intently as their audience became almost frenzied with joy. The only response she could muster was a blush. He was so large. It seemed that he could have swallowed her whole. She tried again to look for Abigail, Elaine, or even the gearmen, but all she could see were large white bodies, black eyes, and tentacles. The room was far too hot. Beads of sweat formed on her brow.

"Do you accept my gift, Mighty Xieol?" The king's voice boomed over the chaos. 

"I do," The Prince returned, pulling Thalia into his chest with one strong arm. She felt his gravelly voice as much as she heard it, "She pleases me greatly."

"She has not pleased you yet," His father returned with a laugh, "But she soon will!" The room erupted into laughter. A golden door swung open, and the King gestured toward it. "Now, go, and make us an heir!"

Thalia was sure her face was perfectly white beneath Elaine's paint as the Prince turned and exited the room, dragging her after him. When she trailed too far behind, he roughly gripped her by the upper arm. He pulled her forward with such force that he was nearly carrying her. She could feel the skin of her upper arm bruising and her shoulder threatening to dislocate, but could find no words to protest.

Before she could think, the door had clicked shut behind them. 

Prince Xieol flung her from him. She landed in a heap of white cloth six feet from him. Terror emanated from every pore as she stared up at him. The creature that had seemed so calm in the other room was suddenly seething. He looked like a snake coiled to strike. 

Thalia didn't realize she was whimpering until he harshly told her to stop. She instantly froze, hardly even breathing, as he ran his eyes over her. The room was so quiet in comparison to the golden Ceremonial Hall. The silence seemed to buzz.

"Stand up," He ordered abruptly. 

She struggled to her feet, finding them tangled in the material of her wrap. Her hand found the cool stone of a fountain behind her, and she used it to help pull herself up. Wanting to be brave, Thalia turned to face him. Her hands clung to the marble lip of the fountain behind her.

His hand reached out slowly, and he swirled his finger along the colors Elaine had painted on her collarbone.

"Is this how you really feel?" He asked steadily.

"I—" She shook her head in confusion and tightened her grip on the stone behind her, "I d-don't know."

She watched as spots of black and grey began to pop up across his exposed chest.

"W-what," She cleared her throat nervously, "What do they mean?"

His skin only darkened further. The black spots became red around their rim.

"Pleasure," He trailed his finger along the blush of pink on her chest. She shivered and shook her head slightly. His finger slowly moved to the swirls of yellow.

"Excitement," He added, and let his hand slid up her neck to tap the three spots of purple on her cheek. 

"Arousal," He finished, and looked directly into her eyes.

"No—" She choked on her own words, "I didn't know—"

"Lies," He snarled, and gripped the white swirl of her hair harshly, "They paint you up to look like one of us, and you know nothing of us!" He pulled hard on her hair, and it came tumbling down. Pins went flying. Angry red marks grew beside his eyes.

"Do they think I'm stupid?" He bellowed, leaning into her. His face was inches from hers. The force of his breath hit her face like a gust of wind. "Did they think I wouldn't know notice?"

"No," Thalia choked on a sob. Mist or no mist, her terror was overcoming her senses. "I didn't know!"

"Of course not," He returned, disgusted, "You know nothing. Your pitiful little brain cannot even fathom what I want in a mate! You are nothing. Nothing! Do you understand?"

"Yes!" She cried, and tears spilled over onto her cheeks, "I'm s-sorry!"

"You will be," He returned, but he stood back from her. His eyes closed for a moment. The spots of color on his body faded as he took a series of deep breaths. After a moment, his eyes opened again and he regarded her anew.

"Well," He said, almost to himself, "The damage is done. I might as well see what I'm stuck with."

Suddenly his hands were on her and he pushed her backwards into the fountain. 

Thalia landed with a splash, her head bouncing off the marble bottom. When she tried to sit up, Xieol grabbed her by the hair and forced her head back underwater. She thrashed violently, but he was too strong. Her lungs began to burn. 

She managed to get her face above the waterline just long enough to get a single gulp of air and hear him yell, "Black!" as the paste washed out of her hair. She was submerged again.

"Do I look stupid to you?" He demanded, finally pulling her up by the hair. She shook her head viciously as she gasped for air. Without mercy, he dunked her again.

"I asked you a question!" He screamed directly in her face as he pulled her, sputtering, from the water again. 

"No!" She screamed, choking and spitting, "No, please, no!"

He threw her backwards so that her head crashed into the marble again, but he let her right herself this time. When she emerged from the water, his face was directly above hers. His black eyes were dangerous. 

"No, what?"

"No—no, Sir?" She asked, and he slapped her so hard her head snapped to one side. The skin of her lip cracked, her ears rang and she tasted blood, "No—Prince!" She screamed, "Prince!"

"Your Highness," He corrected harshly as he hauled her up by the hair. "Your Eminence, Your Great, Vast and Mightiness!"

"Yes," She was sobbing now, "Yes, Your Highness!"

With a grunt, he flung her side ways. She landed in a wet, miserable heap on the floor. Sobs wracked her body. She barely registered when the door opened and two gearmen walked in. 

With a roar, the Prince snapped off the head of one of them and threw it towards her. It skittered to a stop near her face and she screamed. Her throat locked up and she barely pulled herself up onto her elbows before she began to retch.

"Lovely," The Price commented, and turned his attention to the remaining gearman.

"Take her," He commanded, "Fix her. Bring her to me when you are done."

The gearman's cold hands were comforting against her feverish skin. He pulled her gently to her feet, but her legs failed her. The gearman easily swept her up into his arms.

"And do a better job this time!" The Prince bellowed after them as the gearman carried her from the room. 

Windows, Thalia's thoughts drifted hazily as she lost consciousness. 

The fountain room had windows.



Wishing Stars Ch. 06



"Drink, Princess," A calm voice floated through the haze. "There you go, easy now,"

Thalia coughed on the liquid sliding down her throat. She thrashed away from her unseen attacker. Her lungs burned and she gasped for air. As she slowly became completely conscious, she realized that she wasn't still underwater. 

She was in another large white room on another bed. This was not new, but it was anything but comforting. Thalia glanced around frantically, trying to locate the prince.

"Shush, now," Elaine said. The older woman was standing above her holding a bowl. The expression on her face was pained. "You are safe, Princess. Now, you must drink."

Thalia tried to tell Elaine that she didn't want anything from her, but was interrupted by the need to lean over the edge of the bed. Water and bile spilled on to the floor.

"Here, dear," Elaine ran a cool cloth across the back of her neck and forehead. The older woman helped her lean back against the pillows and offered her to cloth to wipe her mouth. 

She took the cloth and flung it against a wall. She wiped her mouth on the white sheet instead. Elaine sighed, but did not comment. Instead, she picked up a bowl and held it out to her.

"It's medicine, sweetheart," The woman said softly, "You hit your head very hard. This will treat the concussion." 

"I must have a concussion," Thalia muttered bitterly. Her voice was weak and felt raw, "You sound like a normal person, for once."

"Yes," Elaine responded, and handed Thalia the bowl, "I didn't want to feel happy anymore. So I took an antidote to my medication."

"Oh," Thalia murmured. She sipped at the liquid tentatively. It wasn't completely unpleasant. 

"The robots make a lovely tonic," Elaine said. She took a seat on the edge of the bed, "If I take it each morning, I don't feel sad all day. Not at all. It helps me endure this life. I've taken it for so long, though, that it has started the loose its effect. Now I take double the amount the other women do. It can make me...excitable."

"Other women..." Thalia handed the empty bowl back to Elaine. "Like Abigail?"

"Yes," Elaine looked down at her hands sadly, "Most of the Arktzirax do not mind their mates taking it. They tire of all the screaming and crying we do." She smiled sadly. "Due to its addictive properties, some Arktzirax only permit their mates a minimal dose. I believe your friend is one of these."

That made Abigail's behavior a little easier to understand. Thalia looked down at her hands and was distracted by the bruises trailing up from her wrists. She pressed her hand to the spreading bruise on her face and winced.

"Will he —Prince Xieol—I mean," She took a deep breath. "Is he going to beat me again?"

"Thalia, dear," Elaine ducked her head and rose from the bed. She placed the bowl on a side table and stared at the wall for a moment. "I—"

"Never mind," Thalia said quickly. Elaine turned to look at her in surprise. The older woman had addressed her by her name. She felt that badly for her. That told Thalia all she needed to know.

"I don't want the tonic," She added after a moment of thought. "I don't want to be happy near him. Being sad, and angry, that's all I have left. I hate him. I need to feel that. Feeling anything but disgust and hate for him, that would be—"

"A lie," Elaine finished. She bit her lip in hesitation, then continued, "And he has forbidden you have it."

"Oh," Was all she could muster. Part of her screamed that he dare forbid her anything, let alone happiness, but the rest of her grew strangely calm. So, he wanted her to scream and cry. He wanted to see the real her, and he thought he had. An image of her crumpled form, bleeding and retching, came unbidden to her mind. She shook her head to clear it. 

Thalia was not a coward. She was more than a half-drowned girl sobbing on the floor. The Prince needed to see who she really was. Now that she knew the type of monster he was, her resolution was firm. 

He would never hit her again.

The door flew open and Abigail sailed into the room. She threw her arms wide and nearly tackled Thalia to the floor. Thalia found herself knocked sideways on the bed, beneath her friend, and began to panic. She struggled in Abigail's grasp, the sensation of being touched causing alarms to go off behind her eyes. Sensing her fear, Abigail sat up quickly, and held her at arm's length

"Oh!" Her friend cried.

Thalia could feel eyes on the deepening bruise on her face. She ran a hand across it self-consciously. 

Abigail released her and took a breath. Regaining her composure, she helped straighten the injured girl. She moved a safe distance away and sat on the edge of the bed. 

"I'm so sorry," Abigail said. There were tears in the corners of her eyes. She ran a hand quickly across them and began plucking nervously at the pleats of her dress. When she looked up again, there was a profound sadness in her eyes Thalia had not seen before. She must have forgone her tonic as well. Abigail reached out to stroke Thalia's hand, but saw the bruises and let her hand fall uselessly between them.

"It could have been worse," Elaine commented quietly. "It isn't so bad, not really. Do you...do you want to see?" Her nervous hands held out a small mirror. 

It took a moment for Thalia to accept it, and another before she was able to glance into its depths. Part of her was terrified that she would still look Arktzirax. That she would never be the same as she had before. 

Her reflection was startling. Her dark hair was a tangled mess, but Thalia was relieved to see it returned to its natural color. It was almost surprising that there weren't large chunks missing. Her scalp still stung, but that would heal. There was a large purple bruise spreading across her right cheek, and her nose was swollen. Her fingers tested it, and she yelped in pain. 

Elaine quickly assured her that the doctor—who had seen her while she was unconscious—had not thought her nose was broken. It too would heal. Her lip was badly split, and her mouth tasted metallic. 

Elaine shooed her hand from her face. She was instructed to "let it heal". 

"You'll be good as new, right as rain," The older woman said.

Thalia felt like she was supposed to be happy about that, but couldn't muster a positive emotion. She couldn't fathom being happy ever again. Tonic or no. Abigail seemed to read her thoughts.

"Oh," Abigail tried to sound encouraging, but wouldn't meet her gaze. "The first night is always so rough. They don't realize how much weaker we are than them. Give him some time, and he will learn—"

"Night?" Thalia asked.

"The Princess was here, asleep, all night," Elaine said carefully as she applied a foul smelling cream to Thalia's damaged lip. "So that she could be treated for her injuries. It was by order of His Highness."

"I don't understand." Abigail glanced between the two women. "If he didn't mate with you—What happened?" 

Imagines flashed through Thalia's mind unbidden. His angry face, glowing red, through the ripples of the water, and the bubbles rushing toward the surface as she tried to gasp—

Thalia wanted to bury herself in Abigail's arms and sob, but she had spent enough time crying. She took a deep breath and felt inside her for the anger, the outrage she felt. Hatred bubbled up and she felt her face flush with it. Her eyes dried as she let her fury consume her.

"He hit me," Thalia snapped. "He threw me into a fountain. He almost drowned me! It wasn't an accident."

Abigail's eyes were wide.

"How I looked—It made him angry." She took a deep breath and looked down at her hands. Her wrists were such a deep purple, they were almost black. "So he beat me and sent me away."

Abigail covered a gasp with one of her delicate hands. 

"Did he reject you?" Abigail asked, appalled, "Are you being sent back to the ship?"

"No," Elaine answered. "His Highness ordered her returned to him as soon as she regained consciousness. We are probably delaying longer than we should."

Abigail grasped at Thalia's hands, but she was shaken off. Thalia rose unsteadily to her feet. 

"I won't be returned to him," She seethed, "I am a person, not a piece of fabric!"

"Not on this planet, Princess," Elaine said sadly, but firmly, "Not in this galaxy, or any of the others that the Arktzirax Empire controls. You are his vessel, for his use, by law."

"I will go." Thalia snapped at the older woman, "But I will not be returned. He should see the fruits of her efforts."

She glanced in the mirror once more and handed it back to Elaine.

The door opened immediately when she knocked. Two gearmen stood outside, ready to escort her. 

"Wait," Abigail called. "Please, we can stall a few more moments!"

Thalia could hear that her friend was crying again, but could not let herself care. She had to stay angry, or she risked losing her courage. She nodded at the gearmen and they took up their positions. One behind her, one before her. Thalia felt like the meat in a sandwich. 

"You are still in your nightgown, Your Highness," The gearman behind her said. 

Thalia stumbled slightly, hearing her new title. He quickly steadied her by gripping her arm. Again, the cold of his hand felt pleasant. It was grounding. She wondered why she had ever felt repulsed by the gearmen. They were so predictable. She had nothing to fear from them.

"I know," She responded after a moment. Although, she truly hadn't spared a thought about her clothing. "He should see me—like this. He should see the consequences of his actions." 

She gestured vaguely toward her face and body. It was unclear whether the gearman understood. She was simply met with a chorus of "Yes, Princess."

They walked in silence for a long time. The entire building seemed comprised of twisting white hallways with white doors. Aside from the odd gearman, they saw no one.

Thalia's feet were cold, and had begun to ache. It probably had not been the best decision to leave without shoes. She could have paused long enough to find a pair, certainly, without losing her nerve. Then again, maybe not. Her courage seemed thin and wispy about her. She feared any pause in forward momentum might cause it to crumble away for good. 

She was just about to ask a gearman about possible footwear, when they abruptly turned a corner. Thalia's feet touched an unfamiliar surface. It felt rough on her skin, so much different than the smooth marble she was used to. She pressed a hand against the wall and found that it, too, was coarse. The bumpy material was a dark grey with small flecks of black. 

The hall the stretched before them was made entirely from this strange substance, and it was eerily dark. The sterile bright lights she was used to had been replaced by floating globes every few yards. A flickering, unsteady light emanated from the globes, casting ever changing shadows about the hall. There was a strange smell to this new hall as well, like a dress she had put away damp. It smelt of mildew and disuse. A small shiver crept down her spine.

Another turn brought them to the bottom of a staircase. The grey stone steps spiraled upwards for what seemed an eternity. They ascended slowly, the gearman behind her bracing her arm in case she were to stumble. The steps were incredibly steep. Thalia trailed a hand along the gritty stone of the wall as she followed the spiraling staircase upwards. 

A brilliant flash of green caught her eye. She pushed against the gearman before her and stumbled when the robot behind her failed to relinquish his grip. 

"Let go!" She demanded. They quickly complied. Thalia stumbled up the stairs as quickly as she dared and slipped her fingers into a slit set between the large grey stones that made up the wall. 

It was a small slit, less than an inch in width, but through it she could just make out a single spot of brilliant green. And blue! Such a wide, vivid swath of blue!

"A window," She breathed, disbelieving.

"An arrow slit, Princess," A gearman corrected, "This tower is part of the old castle, which one of Prince Xieol's Great-Grandfathers decided to preserve. The stones have been reset and strengthened, but the historical integrity has been maintained."

"That's outside," Thalia pressed her face to the arrow slit. The stone of the wall was cold on her cheek. 

"The arrow slits serve the purpose of allowing fresh air into the tower." The gearman continued, "Although, lasers have been installed to prevent insects from gaining entrance into the castle.

At the mention of lasers, Thalia snapped her face back. She sat on the step and closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air. It smelt incredible, like nothing she had ever experienced before. 

"The windows in the tower have the same feature, Princess." The gearman said, "Humans have a psychologically engrained fear of insects, so previous Princes have taken steps to prevent—"

"Windows?" Thalia's eyes snapped open, and she jumped to her feet, "Show me!"

"Yes, Princess," They chorused. 

The group resumed their trek up the stairs. It went much quicker now that Thalia was motivated to reach the top. Soon the winding staircase ended at a large white door. It seemed extremely out-of-place next to the raw glory of the grey stone, and the white seemed almost painfully bright in the natural sunlight streaming through the arrow slits.

She hated it.

The gearman entered a code on a small keypad set into the wall and the door swung open. Behind it was a second door, this one was a dark brown and looked extremely heavy. Thalia ran her hand over it wonderingly. It was coarse, but almost soft in some way.

"Wood, Princess," The gearman said, "Made from trees."

A golden key was produced and soon the brown door swung inwards. Thalia stepped through the threshold and into a circular stone chamber. 

Soft, sheer cloth had been hung from the rafters. It draped down to the center of the room. Through it, Thalia could see a circular white bed. She adverted her eyes quickly.

And there, in the far corner of the room, was a window. It was five feet wide and rose from just above a cushioned bench up to the ceiling. 

Thalia ran to it. She climbed up onto the bench and leaned out into the sunshine. The world outside was ablaze with color. The sky was a bright vivid blue stretching across fields of tall green grass. Off in the distance, she could make out tall trees clustered tightly together. She couldn't fathom the sheer height of such things. Was it true that they were really alive? The education the gearmen had provided gave her a basic understanding of such things, but she found it hard to match the images she had been shown with the real thing. If only she could get closer---

"I wouldn't do that," Prince Xieol's voice was so deep, it was almost a growl. His heavy hand landed on her shoulder and jerked her back from the window. Luckily, her breath caught in her throat. If it hadn't, she may have screamed. Xieol moved far too quietly for something his size. 

"Any further out that window and you would have triggered the electronic fencing." He carefully grasped her face in one giant hand, turning it slowly and inspecting the bruise rising on her cheek. "Even you can't be stupid enough to electrocute yourself for attention."

"Attention?" She sputtered, "For attention—"

"What is this?" He was still staring at her face as if she hadn't spoken. Anger overrode her fear slightly and Thalia tried to free herself from his grasp. His hand easily kept its firm grip on her face, he didn't seem to notice her struggle. Still expecting an answer, Xieol tapped on her bruised cheek. Thalia winced and sucked in a breath.

"It's blood," Her voice came out through clenched teeth. 

"Lies," His black eyes glared down at her. Red, black and grey started to swirl across his chest. He barked an order towards the door in some strange language. "You will not lie to me."

A gearman appeared in the doorway and inclined his head to the Prince. 

"What is this?" Xieol demanded. He jerked Thalia's head sideways so that the gearman could get a good look at her face. The motion caused Thalia to lose her precarious balance. Her body slid up against Xieol's as he drug her by the face. She shuddered.

"A bruise, Your Highness," The gearman chirped. "A pooling of the blood below the skin. This is caused when a human suffers enough trauma to break blood vessels, but not enough to break the skin."

"Not enough?" Xieol returned darkly, but when he looked down at Thalia and his face was thoughtful. "I like this bruise. The colors..." He trailed off as he released her face and stood. 

Thalia slumped and let the strong gravity pull her down onto the bench. She took a deep breath and tried to look at anything but the large white knees much too close to her face. 

"Come here," Xieol commanded suddenly. 

Thalia flinched, but otherwise remained still. She was already so close to him. His large body loomed over her. His tone brooked no argument, but she didn't understand— and then she heard it. 

A metallic whirring was becoming louder in the room as the gearman, ever faithful, approached the prince. The gearman walked right up to the large creature. He came so close that Thalia could hear the clicking of his metal skeleton beneath his glass case.

"Show the Princess why she should stay away from the window," 

There was a split second of silence, and then Xieol grabbed the gearman by one arm and tossed him out the window. The gearman flew directly over Thalia, and she dove back down onto the bench to avoid being hit by the robotic body. 

A terrible crackling noise burst through the room when the gearman passed over the window sill. Violent sparks of light erupted around his body. Thalia screamed and buried her face into the hard bench to avoid being hit by the sparks raining down on her. The gearman hit some form of invisible barrier and his body was tossed back into the room. He landed, smoking, half way to the door with a large crash. Slowly, the sparks and fizzles of energy died off. 

Thalia stared at the smoking corpse, disbelieving. 

"Do not attempt to escape," Xieol said firmly. He had stepped to the side to avoid being hit by the gearman, but was now looming over her again. "You will stay in this room until we successfully produce an heir. I will not tolerate any more human weakness. You are the princess of the empire. You will act accordingly or I will chain you up like cattle. It is up to you."

"Why did you kill him?" Thalia's eyes were still locked on the blackened body of the gearman. "He didn't do anything wrong."

"The Assistant?" Xieol asked, clearly annoyed. Hints of black spread across his chest. "You little idiot. They are machines. In the time it took me to break this one, a hundred more have been created. Not that it matters." 

She finally drug her eyes away from the damaged gearman. She knew she was being stupid. Of course, it was a robot. Thalia knew that. But, still, the gearmen had never hurt her. They were just doing what they had been told to do. That was a small matter at the moment, though, and not the one she should be focusing on. Hadn't he mentioned chains?

"Your species is said to require companionship," Xieol mused. He glanced over at the smoking gearman. "Small minds enjoy small pleasures. Go ahead and make friends with the furniture while you're at it."

Thalia started to reply, but was cut off when he turned back to her. She couldn't read his expression. Colors were popping and fizzing across his body as he loomed over her. Suddenly, his face was much to near hers. Thalia started to right herself and scramble backwards on the bench, but he halted her with a firm grip on her waist. 

"Do not move," Xieol ordered. He was so close that she felt his warm breath hitting her face. Thalia tried to turn away, but his other hand was suddenly locked on her chin. 




Wishing Stars Ch. 06



"Do not move!" He screamed directly into her face and Thalia slammed her eyes shut with a whimper. 

Suddenly his lips were on hers. They were hard, demanding. Again, Thalia tried to struggle but his hands wouldn't budge. In retaliation, Xieol pressed harder. The kiss was harsh. Thalia felt her skin splitting against her teeth. Blood filled her mouth with the taste of metal. Panic rose in her chest. He was pressing her against his chest so hard that she couldn't breathe. Her lungs screamed for air. She was instantly far more terrified of suffocating than she was of him. Desperate, she raked her fingernails across the skin of his cheek.

Xieol pulled back just far enough to slam the back of his hand against her unblemished cheek. The force of the blow snapped her head to the side and sent her tumbling off the bench. Xieol stepped back and let her fall. Thalia sucked in a breath as her body hit the floor. Before she could think of escaping, Xieol followed her down. His large body pinned her to the floor. Her vision was blurred with tears and pain, but she could see his three tentacles emerge from his scalp. 

"You will obey," Xieol's black lips were pulled back from his teeth in a snarl. His lips returned to hers and he balled her hair into one of his fists. With his crushing weight pressing into her, she had no hope of getting away.

The terror became so much that Thalia felt strangely detached from the situation. She found herself wondering about things that shouldn't have mattered just then. What did a humanoid need with tentacles? Thalia struggled to remember what she had learned about sea animals from the gearmen. They were used to move, to fight, to...taste?

The touch of Xieol's tentacles gliding across her face soared to the forefront of Thalia's mind. Somehow her mouth found its way open, and she was screaming against Xieol's lips. Instead of pulling back, the prince pressed forward. His tongue snaked into her mouth. 

Thalia began struggling in earnest, bucking beneath him and thrashing. She brought her teeth down as hard as she could on his tongue, but it didn't have any apparent effect. Xieol seemed more egged on than anything. He simply pressed her harder into the floor, his hand twisted in her hair until she thought he would wrench her scalp free. Thalia kept screaming against him, half choking on his tongue. 

A series of loud noises slowly broke through her terror. Xieol seemed to eventually hear them as well. He released her lips with a growl and glared towards the door. He barked something in a language she didn't understand and she cowered beneath him.

The door opened and two gearmen stepped into the room. 

"Guardsman Cruft," They announced in their happy voices. 

A large Arktzirax man, nearly the size of Xieol, roughly pushed passed the gearmen. His black eyes swept across the room, including the couple on the floor, but he didn't comment. If he was surprised, he hid it well. 

"His Majesty requires your presence, immediately, Your Highness," Cruft announced in a deep, gravelly voice. 

"And he sent you?" Xieol responded, his tone too light for the situation. He pulled himself up and sat back on his ankles with a short laugh. 

Freed, Thalia scrambled away from him until her back hit the wall. She glanced around, but there was nothing to hide behind. The only object in the room was the large circular bed. She was definitely not going near that. 

Xieol didn't seem to notice her. He was deep in discussion with the Guardsman. They had switched the conversation into what Thalia assumed was their native tongue. They must have guessed she did not understand it. 

Despite everything, Xieol did not appear to mind the interruption in the least. He was even smiling at the other man. Thalia was shocked to hear him release a few deep barks of laughter. The men spoke for a couple more minutes before Xieol finally sighed and rose to his feet. Guardsman Cruft stepped out into the stairwell to allow Xieol to pass, which he did. It was almost with an afterthought that Xieol stuck his head back into the room.

"Do not do anything stupid," Xieol commanded her, using her language once more. "Thruk would not like losing his mate."

With that, he was gone. 

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Thalia alone with the two gearmen. They stared at her in silence. Thalia remained where she was for a moment, trying to comprehend what had just happened. 

"Did he..."Thalia started, but her voice was hoarse and she had to pause to cough, "Did he mean Abigail?" 

"His Highness's comment was most likely a threat against Lady Abigail," A gearman responded cheerily.

"To ensure your good behavior, Princess." The other robot finished. 

"He can't hurt her!" Thalia demanded, struggling to her feet. A gearman approached to assist her, but she waved him away. "Only Thruk can touch her! That's the rule, right? Right?"

"General Thruk is obligated to obey His Highness's command, even if that order is in direct violation of the law." The gearman said.

"He would order Thruk to kill her?" Thalia responded, shocked. 

"His Highness may command anything," the gearman said simply.