Page 1 of Vabar

ONE

I’ve never been so scared in my entire life.

Granted, I’m only twenty-one years old. And my life has been uneventful so far, apart from when I was sent to live on a space station as a baby. I’ve only known that one existence. Work, eat, sleep, repeat.

Except for a few motherly types who came with us as caregivers, the entire space station consists of women like me in their early twenties. My friends. The only humans I know. I’ve never met a single man until today.

So far, ten out of ten, I don’t recommend it. I’m not pleased. Far from it.

First, I was yanked from my home on the space station. Then, I was injected with something that knocked me out. After that, I woke up in a cage in a freezing cold warehouse where I both vomited and peed myself.

And that was just the beginning. I was hauled bodily from the cage to a medical room, tossed in a tub, and forced to strip out of my clothes and take a bath while two surly guards watched me. These Venkorian men are huge. I already knew that from seeing the black-clad guards who’ve been wandering around the space station.

At nearly eight-feet tall and proportionately broad, they’re imposing, to say the least. And mean. They didn’t care that it was humiliating to strip in front of them. Nor did they care that I was sobbing. Those guards were made of steel, scowling at me when I didn’t move fast enough.

The entire time, I was woozy and struggling to keep my head upright. I assume from the drugs I was given. My body felt too heavy. Every movement was a struggle.

But did these giant guards care? No. When they decided I was done, they let the water out of the tub, roughly dried me off, and handed me a diaper.

A diaper!

With my damp hair and skin, I was shivering violently. It’s so cold on this planet. One of the men held a blanket in front of me, but he refused to let me have it until I put the diaper on.

I’ve never cried this much in my life. I can’t even remember the last time I was this distraught. After all, I have no idea what’s going to happen. What are their plans for me?

Since being granted the soft blanket, I’ve at least been warmer. I still haven’t eaten anything in heaven knows how long, nor have I been permitted to use a bathroom. I’m beginning to think using the diaper is mandatory. On top of that, I’m still nauseous, and my head is pounding.

I’m, once again, in a cage. The guards stuffed me into this new one as soon as they gave me the blanket. I’ve been inside the small jail for a while. They covered it with a large black drape, so I can’t see where they are taking me.

First, they carry the cage for a while, then I’m confident they put it in a vehicle of some sort. They drive for a while, stop, and yank the cage out of the back again.

With no regard whatsoever for my comfort or safety, they jostle me around roughly, making my stomach churn and my head pound harder.

By the time they finally set me down again, I’m curled up on the cold, hard, metal liner, clenching my stomach. Tears are running down my cheeks; I can’t stop them. I’m surrounded by bars, and I still can’t see anything because of the black drape.

If the goal is to end my life, I wish someone would just do it now.

TWO

My breath hitches when the black material is whisked away from outside my cage. I cover my eyes because the room is so bright. I’m suddenly aware that I’m surrounded by noise. A lot of noise. I have no idea what or who is making the sounds. They aren’t recognizable to me.

I know it’s not the Venkorians’ voices. I’ve heard them speaking to each other, and this is not what their language sounds like.

Something rushes by me in a blur, and I screech as I push myself to sitting and pull my knees up to my chest, trying to keep my arms and legs away from the sides of the metal box.

What was that?

It happens again. Black…fur? Is it an animal? I’ve seen pictures of animals from Earth, but I’ve never seen a real-life animal. This second furry creature stops next to my cage, tips his head to one side as if assessing me, and then opens his jowls and…barks?

I’ve heard that sound in videos. Is this a dog? He looks sort of like the dogs I know from pictures.

Another similar animal joins him. They are both smaller than me, but the black one is still big. About half my size. Its friend is tiny and brown. He barks, too. His pitch is much higher.

I stare at them without blinking. I can’t decide whether they are friend or foe. Will they bite me? Where are the Venkorians?

Suddenly, a man crouches down next to the animals. He pets them, and they scurry off. His attention turns to me, and his head cocks to the side as he sizes me up.

When his hand reaches through the bars, I hold my breath. He slowly reaches for my hair and…pets me. His smile grows as I watch him. He has blond hair and tanned skin. His eyes are a deep blue. I think they’re similar to mine.