Time to continue first contact. Too bad she hadn't been trained for this. There was a small part of her that worried she or one of her crew might mess it all up.
Chapter 2
Zahra hadn’t needed to worry about ruining any sort of first contact. Once aboard the alien ship, they’d been guided to a room, given blankets and pillows, and left alone. The aliens briefly apologized for not having any other available rooms, but none of her people minded. It was a safe, warm space. At this point, it felt like a five-star space cruise. No one here would complain.
“Should be at the base any moment.” Logan smiled at them as he turned away from the small window he looked out of at the space zipping by them.
They all sat or lounged in their room. With only about a day between them and the base, Zahra had given strict orders not to leave the room. The less contact, the fewer chances they had to accidently insult their savors. Their hiding away could still result in an insult, but she figured it was easier to fix than something said or gestured.
“Good.” Vincent stretched his long legs out in front of him. “I’m ready to get back to our people, have some human food, and maybe talk to my family, assuming I’m not sent right back out to the field.”
“I’ll make sure we all get time to say hi to someone.” Zahra assured them all. They would all need the reset after seeing so many of their crewmates slaughtered at the hands of the Sri’thaens. Some might even need some therapy. Zahra eyed Logan, their youngest crew member. He seemed in good spirits, but she wondered if he’d actually dealt with what they’d witnessed, or if he’d stashed it away somewhere.
The door to their room slid open and one of the aliens walked into the open doorway. His greenish eyes scanned theroom before landing on her. “Khaazai requests your presence on the bridge.”
“Of course.” Zahra rose from where she sat cross-legged on the dark metal floor.
“You shouldn’t go alone.” Logan was immediately standing at her side.
“Logan’s right. You should have one of us accompany you.” Vincent said from where he still lounged on the floor, not looking like he was about to volunteer.
“Logan,” Zahra sent him a smile, “why don’t you join me? Stretch your legs.” Then she could keep the young man close, make sure he was still doing well.
“Happy to join you.” Logan stepped in behind her as she led the way to the doorway.
The alien stepped aside, allowing them into the hall, before he turned and led the way in silence. The corridors were made from the same black metal on the outside of the ship with dim orange lighting, giving the ship a slightly creepy vibe. The walk to a lift took them only a few seconds, from there they zipped upwards, and when the doors opened again, they were greeted by the sight of a small bridge. Each station was manned by one of the enormous black aliens.
Khazzai stood in the center of the bridge and turned. His blue eyes skimmed over her, and Zahra felt goosebumps race up and down her spine.
“You called us up to the bridge?” Zahra prompted as she and Logan approached.
“Yes, and unfortunately, it is with bad news, I am afraid.” Khazzai said, his deep voice seeming to carry through the metal of the floor and race up her legs. “Your base is no longer in existence.” He swept an arm out to the viewscreen.
Zahra turned right as Logan uttered, “Shit.”
She mirrored his sentiment, only silently in her head. All that was left of the base was a bunch of debris floating through space.
“Any survivors?” She asked hopefully. Someone could have escaped on a vessel or in a space suit. Anything was possible. Even if improbable.
“We’ve been scanning the area since arriving, but so far, there is nothing. We will do a thorough sweep before moving on.” Khaazai turned to her, “But I will need to know where you would like us to bring you to next.”
“Uh.” Zahra pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to think of the next closest space station or base. “There’s a space station about a week from here. I can type in the coordinates for you.”
“Draqiex will allow you use of his station.” Khaazai led her over to one of his men.
Draqiex stepped aside, and Zahra noticed for the first time that none of the stations had a chair. Guess they didn’t believe in sitting while on the job.
“I might need some help with this.” Zahra said as she skimmed over the buttons and realized her ocular implants would need time to digest the symbols in front of her before translating them.
Draqiex stepped up beside her and assisted her in searching out the coordinates. Once done, she backed away, and addressed Khaazai, “Seeing that my people will be aboard your ship for a little longer, do you mind if they stretch their legs?”
He inclined his head ever so slightly as he said, “They are welcome to explore the ship and interact with the crew. However, there are restricted zones, but there will always be an armed guard in those areas to warn you or it will require a code.”
“We thank you for your hospitality.” Zahra said before she followed one of the aliens back to their group.
No one would be thrilled to hear the base had been blown to bits, but there was nothing more they could do at this point. It was a war after all.
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