Chronicles of Sol: The Fall

The young woman awoke with a scream. She didn’t even notice her surroundings. In fact, she couldn’t. Her world was on fire. The slightest movement felt like every inch of her skin was her clit, and it was being stabbed with burning needles or worse. There was nothing but the pain. Her head throbbed with it, destroying any thought before it could really form. Her very mind was being overwhelmed by the intense pain.

Voices, alien, indistinct briefly pierced the veil of her world of pain. Yet in her agony, they meant nothing to her. They were just one more note to her torment. Suddenly there was a prick against her neck, but she didn’t even notice overwhelmed by the fire. The rush of ice flooding her veins, however, she noticed. Like lightning, it shot through her bringing relief with it. The ice rushed through her system putting out the fire burning through her.

Soon the pain transformed from thought-breaking agony, to unbearable, to merely bearable. As the pain lessened, she began to take in her surroundings. The room she was in was unfamiliar and rather dimly lit. The ceiling, rather alien. It was a smooth sturdy looking ceiling without any decoration. It was merely a solid slate-metal grey in color, which made it rather boring to look at. The low lighting left shadows, but they weren’t all that interesting either.

She tried to move only to find that she was restrained. Becoming more aware of her body as the pain lessened further, she began noting that her arms and legs had been restrained to a firm bed of some kind. Not only that, but someone had gagged her as well. Her head was also resting in some kind of brace that left her stuck looking at the boring ceiling.

Her mind quickly started putting pieces together while she tried to figure out how this had happened. The last thing she could remember was being engaged in battle with aliens she had never seen before. Her fighter had been ensnared in a tractor beam. What happened after that?

At first, she was drawing a blank, but then her mind dredged up what happened. She sank into the memory.

Sali glanced at her displays as her fighter touched down on the alien hanger deck. Her mind already working on how she was going to get out of this. The alien tractor beam was draining her shields. They had come back up after her hull had been peppered with those alien disks. Yet they did nothing to help against the tractor beams, if anything they seemed to be amplifying the beams. Turning them off, however, did not seem to be the solution. As they were the only thing left between her, and the aliens. Several armored alien figures were already moving outside her fighter.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t just sit here in her fighter. The hanger doors were closing behind her, already. Not that she could do anything about it right this moment. She couldn’t even leave anyway thanks to that tractor beam. Something Sali knew she would have to deal with if she was to have any chance of getting out of here. Not that she relished her chances of that. They were low, and she knew that. Especially given the state of her fighter’s engines.

Glancing at the fighter’s engineering display, she was reminded of fleet policies. Her hands flew over the controls, as she shut down the safeties, and ramped up the output of her reactor. An overload warning flashed, along with an estimate of how long she had before it actually blew. The countdown displayed a time of about ten minutes before the reactor went critical. More than enough time actually, since if she was still here in ten minutes that meant she had failed. Time was not her ally here, as she already knew what she would need to do.

Pulling her Pulse pistol out of its compartment, she double-checked its plasma cell. While mentally going over her objectives. She needed to locate the hanger controls, open the door, and disable tractor control. After that, she would need to find a ride. Her fighter wasn’t going to leave this bay, trying to fight the alien tractor beam had nearly burned out the engines, and gotten her nowhere. Thankfully there seemed to be shuttles stowed in racks above. If she could get one of them down on the deck, it might just be her ticket out of here. That was the big question, and frankly, she knew her chances were low. Very low, but she had to do something, and she didn’t have a better plan.

A flicker outside was the indicator of her shield failing. The hanger doors had already closed, a glance at the scanners showed that the air in the hanger was thin but breathable. That was good, but she didn’t need to breathe the alien air. Her uniform was vacuum rated, just in case she needed to eject for one reason or another. Securing her helmet, Sali hit the release, and the hatch of her canopy popped open and slid back.

Several aliens had taken up positions around her fighter already. She released a few quick pulses in the direction of one of them. While in the same motion, she jumped down hitting the deck. Sali had little chance staying in the cockpit, and she knew it. The hull of her fighter was paper thin, and she knew most side arms could pierce it. Her own pulse pistol could do so. If the shields had still been up, it would have been a different story, but they had failed while she was preparing. They did their job though. Buying her just a bit of needed time.

Alien energy bolts came back in her direction. Thankfully none of them hit her, but she knew just one hit could be her downfall. Worse the entire hanger was lacking in cover. Something she needed. She returned fire, several red pulses scoring direct hits on an armored figure for no visible effect. She cursed and dived into a roll as she saw him bringing his weapon to bear. A blue flash passed by her too close for comfort.

Her roll had gained her some distance but unfortunately didn’t grant her any cover. That was the big problem here. Worse the aliens were the only ones with any cover thanks to the barricades they had brought with them. It didn’t help that her only weapon was a low-powered pulse pistol. A grenade or a rifle would have been quite welcome here, but she didn’t have either. She fired another volley of angry red plasma pulses in their direction and took another roll towards some crates she had spotted. The only cover anywhere close to her fighter. They were going to have to do.

Suddenly like lightning flashing through her she felt like someone had set her on fire, stabbed her with a rain of constant needles, and then rubbed her sensitive flesh with sandpaper. Her vision darkened, and the world vanished in darkness. What happened after that, Sali didn’t know.

She could already guess a bit of what happened. That sudden spike in pain must have been a hit. Since she was still alive, it was likely a stun blast, and not a particularly gentle one either. That hurt like nothing else she had ever experienced. Just thinking about it made her shudder. It was not a pleasant memory.

It did seem that she had been captured, however. Since she was still here they must have discovered that her fighter had been set to overload, and taken care of that as well. Otherwise, she should have been dead, not restrained to a bed. Suddenly she heard something, a bit of a clanking sound. A moment later, a surprisingly familiar face appeared in her vision. It was a woman, who looked a lot like a Valorian but couldn’t be. Her skin was the wrong color, and she had never seen a Valorian with hair that color either. No Valorian had pale white skin, and brown hair.

She had an alien device in her hand, that she ran over her. After a moment, she looked at a display attached to the device. It must have been a scanner of some kind. The woman seemed to like the results and put it away before pulling another item out. This while unusual in design was immediately recognizable to her. An auto-injector. She hated those things. Her restraints however meant that she couldn’t get away, and it was pressed against her neck. She felt a sharp prick, and a tingle, as a feeling of ice rushed through her veins. A few aches, she had been ignoring vanished as the ice rushed by. A sensation that distracted her for a moment. As such it took her a moment longer to notice that the alien woman had removed her gag.

Then the alien spoke in an unfamiliar tongue. Thankfully something translated her words into understandable Valorian basic, “Sorry about the restraints and the gag. They were unfortunately needed to ensure you did not injure yourself. I’m afraid you didn’t react well to being stunned and have stun sickness. I’ll be giving you regular injections for a while to counteract the effects, but you are recovering nicely. I think you will be back to normal in a couple of days, but if you experience any dizziness, hypersensitivity,or sudden and severe headaches I want you to report them to me immediately.”

Finding the restraints released as well, she rubbed her jaw which was a little sore from the gag. After a moment, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and nodded. She noted they had changed her clothes, but didn’t pay much attention to that yet. Instead, she took the opportunity to look around. She had definitely been captured, as the room, she was in was clearly a cell. One wall was a grid of metal bars, the rest smooth polished grey metal. She was resting on a padded shelf. To her left was an open passage into what looked to be a bathroom. Only thing there was a toilet, and a sink, however. It was tiny, and there wasn’t space for anything more. The woman in the cell with her from the sound of it was a doctor, and she was now that woman’s patient. Just outside the cell, she could spot the armored forms of two guards. They were wearing the same type of armor that the aliens she had fought in the hanger were outfitted with. Each of them held an alien rifle firmly at the ready. Their body language conveyed readiness to respond at a moment's notice.

Her cell door was open as there was a wide gap in the metal grid but now didn’t feel like the time to escape. Her muscles had felt like jelly, and it had taken genuine effort just to sit up. She felt kind of weak, and she wondered why. Sali was hesitant to ask why, but her doctor was perceptive and ran the scanner over her again. “I’ll have the gaurds get you something to eat. I think the weakness you are feeling right now is temporary and should pass. If it persists let me know.” she paused and pointed to a small panel on the wall inside the cell. “Just press the white button on that panel, and I’ll be here if you need me.”

The panel had two buttons on it, and curious she asked, “What is the other button?”

“That is the emergency panic button. Don’t touch it unless you have an emergency in here.”

She nodded and leaned back against the wall. Her mind already making notes on her circumstances. Sali wasn’t yet working on a plan to escape just yet. At the moment, she wasn’t in a position to even try, and frankly, she was lacking too much information for even a one percent chance of an escape. Not to mention with how she felt it was doubtful she would make it more than five feet out of the cell before being caught. They wouldn’t even need those rifles they were carrying. So no she didn’t fancy her chances, and being shot once was more than enough for her. Not to mention she knew being shot again would likely prove lethal, as she wasn’t unfamiliar with what stun sickness was.

The doctor left, and she noted the door slid closed. The two sides of the grid simply slid together and mated forming a solid wall. There was clanging as they joined, and then the entire thing crackled for a second. It was a charged wall. That was interesting to note and might be an obstacle later. For a few moments, she simply lay there slumped against the wall, until she mustered the energy to move. As she did so, Sali began to notice her outfit in more detail. As she had noted earlier she was no longer in her pilot’s uniform. Instead, she was wearing a plain white shift and nothing else. It was all she was wearing at the moment, and it was kind of short ending halfway down her thighs. Which might not have been too much of a problem, but she didn’t even have any underwear. The only question about that in her mind was; Why?

Seeing there was no answer for that, she tried to stand up. Only to find that she was unsteady on her jellied legs. Forcing her to use the shelf for support. Maybe trying to stand wasn’t the best idea, and she was tempted to let herself simply collapse back onto the padded shelf. It wasn’t the most comfortable bed she had been on, but some of those beds at boot camp had been pretty bad. She did not give in to that temptation however and made her way around the cell. Her legs alone didn’t give her enough support, so she ended up leaning on the walls, as she explored her small cell. As it turned out there wasn’t much to miss. Her attached bathroom was little more than an open nook. It didn’t even have a door, the door to her cell was a charged metal grid leaving her with zero privacy. That grid didn’t even provide the illusion of privacy since not only could she see out into the hall, but someone in the hall could see in. As she had noted from the bed, the bathroom did lack a shower. It was also super tiny, with barely enough space for the toilet, and the tiny sink in there. The sink did have water though. Only one temperature option, cold. Only other thing of note was that there was a small shelf on the right side of the cell, next to the door. It ran right up to the grid, but a touch revealed that it didn’t carry the charge the grid did. Overall her brief exploration didn’t reveal much of anything she could not have found from the bed.

Moving around did however highlight how much getting shot had messed her up. Ruining any delusions she may have had about escaping quickly. If she was having this much trouble moving around her small cell, escaping the ship was out of the question. That one percent chance was actually more of a big fat zero. A thought that made her morale plummet.

With a bit of difficulty she made it back to her shelf and practically collapsed onto it. Her jellied limbs were screaming at her now. She really hoped the doctor was right, and this was just temporary. That bit of exercise might have helped, however. Not long after she had settled onto the bed, there was the distinct sound of the door opening. She looked over to see that her food had arrived, as a guard entered carrying a bowl. Something that was quickly handed to her, and the guard departed. Sali took stock of her meal, which was apparently a soup.

She wasn’t sure she should trust an alien meal, but a rumble in her belly told her she was hungry. It wasn’t like she had any other options either. With a bit of hesitation, she gripped the spoon and was pleasantly surprised to find the alien utensil fit comfortably in her hand. While many alien races had similar tools, they often had slight differences thanks to differing morphologies. That wasn’t the case with these aliens it seemed. Ignoring that, she spooned up a bit of alien broth and a chunk of... something. She had no idea what.

Cautiously she sniffed at it, and found it smelled somewhat pleasant. Sali took the plunge and finally took a bite. Instantly the flavor hit her tongue. It was a mild flavor, and she actually liked it. Although she would have liked to know what she was eating. Sali took another bite. Soon followed by another, as she realized how hungry she really was. The logical part of her mind told her that the food was likely safe anyway. No point going to the trouble of taking her alive only to poison her. That didn’t make sense. Not to mention she had been scanned a few times, so they should have an idea of her physiology and what she can eat.

The bowl was empty far too soon, and she started at the empty bowl forlornly for a moment or two. Glancing at the shelf by the door, she had an idea of what it was for. With a sigh she stood again, and carefully made her way over while carrying her empty dish. Placing it on the shelf, she went back to her shelf-bed. Where she curled up, and lost herself in thought.

Over the next few days, she soon settled into a bit of a routine. She was given three meals a day, and an injection with every doctor’s visit. At the end of the day someone would come by with a bucket and rag. The closest thing she was given to a proper bath. Tooth care was provided thankfully as well. Overall she was well taken care of, but there was a distinct lack of things to do. As a result once she started feeling better, she found herself working out just because there was nothing else to do. Well aside from watching the guards, or chatting with the doctor on her visits.

At the moment, she was doing none of that. Rather instead she was just finishing up her business in the tiny toilet closet when she heard the door open. Something she was surprised to hear. Breakfast hadn’t been that long ago, she had already had her doctor’s visit for the day, and she knew it wasn’t yet time for lunch. Right now was the brief window she often had to use the toilet without the guards standing right outside her cell door. A factor that gave her a small illusion of privacy. So the door suddenly opening now was rather unusual.

She turned to see, an older man standing at the door. He was also a fair bit larger than her, but what she was most drawn to was his dark eyes. There was something about them. What she wasn’t sure, but there was something there. Then he spoke, and to her surprise, there was no translator echo. He was actually speaking her tongue.

“I’m Captain Countryman. I’d planned to have this meeting earlier, but you weren’t exactly up for a chat the first time I came visiting. I see you seem to be feeling much better now. Do you feel up for a walk? We have much to discuss, and I am sure you have a few questions of your own.”

She blinked and said nothing. At least not at first. It took her a few moments to process just what he had said. When she did, she realized. A walk? As in leaving this cell? With barely suppressed excitement, she nodded eagerly, “Yes! I feel up for a walk.”

She cursed herself for that. Sali knew it was not good to show her excitement like that. He chuckled and then gestured towards the door.

With a sense of trepidation, she approached it, and then for the first time since she woke here on the alien ship, she stepped out of her cell. The corridor she was in was lined with cells. The cell opposite hers was empty, but that wasn’t the case for all of the cells in this corridor. There were people in some of the cells they passed on the way out of the cell block. Her gaze briefly paused, and she came to a stop outside of one cell in particular.

Countryman noted her look, and followed, “Ah, those two? They were up to some naughty pranks and were caught. Nothing too serious, but they get to cool off in this cell until their parents come to pick them up.”

She took a second look at the pair of young girls in the cell. Children really, and she noted that they did seem better dressed than she did. In fact they were only ones she had passed so far not stuffed into a simple white shift. That didn’t entirely answer her big question about her outfit. Not to mention now she had another. She chose not to ask about her missing underwear. The mere thought of asking that made her blush.

“Why are their kids on the ship in the first place?”

Countryman looked at her. “Well now is as good a time as any I guess. The short answer is that there is no better place for them.” he paused and gestured around, “The long answer is that you are looking at the last of a civilization. As a people, we are nearly extinct, and the Enterprise is among the last of our capital ships.”

She blinked, that was not something she had expected to hear. Her surprise must have shown because he explained further, “You see we have been at war with the Cathamari for years now. While one-on-one our ships are superior to theirs their fleet is larger than ours, and until recently they had another major advantage. We leveled that one and evened the playing field, but by then it was too late. Our colonies lie in ruins, and our homeworld is a wasteland. Its what brought us out here, but we aren’t really here to discuss that just yet. Rather, I’d like to talk about you.”

She frowned, “Me? What is there to talk about?”

“Well what to do with you for example. No formal state of war exists between our two peoples, and you were captured in a skirmish initiated by your people. Not only that, but you did attempt to blow up your fighter in my hanger.”

Sheepishly, she glanced at the ground. That in hindsight might not have been the best idea. She was not sure what she could do better, but Sali knew that didn’t look good. Countryman continued, “Complicating matters is that not only is there no state of war, but we don’t have any treaties either.”

“I uh, see. I don’t suppose you’ll just let me go?”

Countryman gestured through a door, a blast door that was open now. With guards on either side. She passed through, waiting for his answer. “I considered it, and if your people had inquired I might have given you to them for the right price. I’m afraid they did not, however, which leaves me with the question of what to do with you.”

She felt herself shrink in her frame. That didn’t sound like good news. Sali didn’t know what to say about that either. So for a few minutes, they walked in silence. Passing out of a security checkpoint, and into a series of armored corridors. They were dimly lit, just like the cell blocks. With the blue light strips running the length of the corridor. Broken only by the occasional doorway. She was led down the corridor, and past several turns in a fairly straight if slightly curved path to a large door on the right.

Countryman opened it, and gestured for her to enter. She stepped in, and took a look around. The room was almost empty with only a couple of guards in the room. The guards being everywhere was something of a constant since she had left her cell. The far wall of the room was a series of viewports, that gave an excellent view of swirling dust clouds, and large asteroids. The view was familiar, they were still in the Delta Four system. She also noted that the room had a few chairs, and tables set up all facing the viewports. It seemed to be an observation room.

Countryman found a nearby chair, settled into it, and gestured for her to sit. Sighing he began, “Now we are going to have a trial in a few days to answer that question about your fate, but frankly its just a formality. You and I are going to be spending the days up until the trial deciding just that.”

Frowning, she looked at him, “Just a formality? Something that important is going to be decided beforehand?”

Countryman nodded, “While not always the case for the last century its been common practice for trials to be decided before the actual trial itself. Now your case is a little complicated, but its not going to change the process. A couple of other people will be joining us later to discuss your case, but today its going to be just you and I. I felt that would be better.”

“I, um see.” she sighed, “Why don’t you just leave me on some planet with some supplies and a beacon? Or better just take me to a border world. I can make way home on my own. As you said, our peoples aren’t formally at war.”

“Yes, but you did try to blow up my hanger, and frankly I don’t plan to enter Valorian space for a while. As for leaving you stranded, that doesn’t sit right with me.”

Sali looked away. It had been worth a shot, but he didn’t seem receptive to either idea. That left her wondering what to do about the bad situation she now found herself in. “So what are you going to do with me then?”

“Well, we can always use more hands, even if the ship is somewhat overcrowded. I can think of a few things for you to do. In the meantime, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”

That was a rather hard-to-answer question. There was quite a bit, she wasn’t yet willing to reveal, but she did give him her name. As that didn’t seem risky to share, and she shared a couple of other details, but not much else. It was the beginning of what turned out to be a fairly lengthy discussion, and overall it was a welcome break from the boredom of the cell. Honestly, she was very disappointed when the conversation came to an end and she had to return to her cell. Sali wasn’t sure she hid that all that well.