Interstellar Runaway

Sensitive item: Slavery

“One order of Raatte Carbonara extra Ketchup!!!!” The chef bellowed. Sadly, another customer and I came up to retrieve it. An interstellar rule is that when two people order the exact same thing in a diner, they have to share, even if it is a burned, chicken-sized rat on a stick. Sharing wasn’t in my plans.

             “Come, we can sit here.” The Aca’t, who was the other customer, ordered while taking the plate of food, and ushering me to a booth near the bathrooms. An Aca’t is a humanoid species from the planet of Ro’Ock. They have catlike ears, eyes, a tail, and whiskers. Their wings are batlike. Aca’ts do not grow taller than four-foot nine. This one had black hair, and wings. I was told to never look an Aca’t in their eyes. He had a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He whispered in my ear, “After I eat and my Chevonda is charged, we will to-go your food, and you can eat, and we will talk in the car.”

             “But…” I started to protest.

             “PET, GET OUT FROM THAT SILLY COSTUME AT ONCE!! YOU ARE GOING TO INSULT A HURN!!!!” He bellowed. A Hurn in an alien from the planet H’Airra. They are creatures all covered with hair, so they look like walking fur piles. I was trying to pass as one.

             “Let me see.” He breathed as I was taking off the costume.

             *** I, the Aca’t, will describe the human female. She has black curly hair, brown eyes, and is five-foot. Humans were enslaved a hundred years ago by multiple alien species, so she had to wear a grey jumpsuit, and a collar. There are two types of collars; one that is easily removable and made of comfortable materials, and another that is electronic that causes pain when the owner pushes a button on the remote control. Sadly, her owner had her wear the electronic one. It did say that her name is Bertha and had information about her owner.

             *** I, Bertha, was scared and shaking, and wondered if there was a way out from this situation but couldn’t think of anything. He took three bites of the food and had the rest in a to-go box.

             “Now, Bertha, when we are back in the car, I will give you your scrap, and you are not to cry about it.” He warned. After the bill was paid, he ushered me into the back of his Chevonda. A Chevonda is a space-car which looks like a car without wheels, and his was blue. The space-car I had stolen was a beat-up memory of a space-car. He buckled me in and took the driver seat.

             When we were a distance away from the diner, he gave me the to-go box, and explained, “Here have the rest, you look like you haven’t eaten in a while. We can freely speak now. Some of the people in that diner looked like they wondered if there was a huge price on your head.”

             “Isn’t part of this…” I started to inquire as I looked at the food box.

             “I always eat before I make my rounds. The name’s Lynx. Let me guess; you ran away fearing punishment?” He guessed. I started eating, even though I thought it was weird that he gave me his name.

             “Master is a Glu’Plyman….” I started to say with a huge bite in my cheek. A Glu’Plyman is a humanoid that looks like a human made of slime. The only people who like the Glu’Plymen are other Glu’Plymen. They create the worst foods in the universe, which is why I enjoyed the Raatte Carbonara extra Ketchup. Lynx groaned, pulled off to the nearest asteroid, and parked.

             “One moment.” He excused himself, picked up his communication device, called someone, and started speaking his native language. I, who only knew English and the language of the Glu’Plymen, just continued eating. When he was done with his conversation, he looked at me, smiled, and asked, “Etuc os uoy era yhw? Why are you so trusting?”

             “I hope you didn’t insult me in your language.” I accused with a glare. He cleared his throat, and started to drive, again.

             “You don’t seem to ask me anything, and I could be taking you anywhere.” He commented.

             I stared into a memory, and recited “If you ask any questions, the punishment is ten.”

             “Ten?” He questioned.

             “He is a beginner at English, and all I knew was that I didn’t want to know what he meant by that. Mostly, if I did anything wrong, he would push the button once.” I explained and itched at my collar.

             *** I, Lynx, allowed her to finish eating, and fall asleep. The first stop had to be the Universe’s Largest Ball of Twine. It is the size of Jupiter, has a breathable atmosphere, and five tourist towns were created upon it. I parked behind The Rat’s Nest hotel and knocked on the back door.

             “Password?” was the greeting from the eyes in the door’s small window.

             “Orion.” I answered, “And send for Dref.”

             Five minutes later, Dref, who is a Four Armed Eight-Foot Muscle Man, came, retrieved Bertha, and we went to his office which was underneath the secret pub. Four Armed Eight-Foot Muscle Men may be a long name for a species, but they insist. He set her on the couch, looked at her collar, and moaned.

             “You are either going have to buy her or take her to Trixy.” Dref informed, got a throw-a-way phone, and tossed it to me. The throw-a-way isn’t traceable. In my language, he commented, “If you fall in love, you will have to quit the group.”

I turned my face away from him and called the number on her collar.

             “Hello? Iz thiz the owner of Bertha?” I greeted in a weird accent.

             “Son miss Bertha. Need back.” Was the garbled response and lie.

             “OH! My offzpring wanted to keep her, zo wanted negotiation?” I inquired with my lie. I heard two beeps; one from the phone, and one from the collar, so I smashed the phone. Bertha was awake and huddled in fear. Then, I moaned “That was useless.”

             “Send Trixy my greetings, and here is your room key.” Dref laughed and tossed me the key.

             *** I, Bertha, had my first night sleep on a bed. Usually, I am to sleep on the ground, but Lynx ordered me on the bed. After good food for breakfast, we got in his car, again.

             “Why are you nice?” I asked when we were away from the twine ball.

             “We are going to my friend, Trixy’s place, and it will hurt, but she will get that collar off from you.” He explained with worry.

             “Hmmm?” I expressed.

             “She’s a Vampire, and…. Uh…. My ex.” He stammered. There is a group of humanoids who looked through the human’s myth books and thought that vampires looked and acted similar to them, so they took on that name. The differences include that they can walk in the sunlight, can’t turn others into vampires, only live to three hundred, and they can’t turn into bats.

             “Do I…” I started to ask as I rubbed at and old wound.

             “You don’t have to do anything. She only requires a fee, which I have ready to give her.” He answered, and he decided to turn on the radio. His music preference wasn’t that good, but better than my master’s.

             Eventually, he parked in the parking lot of a castle like building that had a sign that said, “Trixy’s Palace, where females and felines get the royal treatment.” The place was flamboyant to say the least. When we entered, we were crowded and placed on sedans, with four Four Armed Eight-Foot Muscle Men carrying the sedan’s poles. We were separated, and I was carried to Trixy’s throne room. The throne was too gaudy to look at.

             “Hello, and Welcome to Trixy’s Palace. Salon, spa, and where you come out looking like and feeling like royalty. I am Trixy, and first thing’s first, we need to get that horrible collar off of you, girly.” Trixy introduced, and clapped for a nurse, and a hospital bed to come in. She had neon pink hair, was five-foot seven, and wore an Egyptian dress. I struggled, but they placed a sleep sticker on me, and I was out cold.

             When I woke up, I was in a huge bed, my neck was throbbing, and I was wearing a patient gown. A door opened, and someone came in.

             “Where’s Lynx?” I hoarsely asked and coughed.

             “Good. You’re awake. I have breakfast for you, and we can begin the fun part.” Trixy informed, and servants placed a breakfast tray with a bowl of hot oatmeal, and juice. “Sorry, but you can only have soft food until tomorrow.”

             I smiled and started eating with some cough attacks. This food was better than anything I’ve eaten.

             “You are doing better than most.” Trixy commented. “Lynx is overly worried about you, and he isn’t too cooperative with everyone.” Then, she whispered in my ear, “You should look into his bright, blue eyes.” I blushed and looked away. The day was filled with fun things, and annoying things; I discovered that I liked manicures, that I was too uncooperative for pedicures, and that make-up felt like a Glu’Plyman decided to place his hand on my face. The best part was that I was able to choose what I wanted to wear, and what color I liked. Then when I looked at the full-length mirror, I could barely recognize myself, and my scars were well covered. I had a blue, tulle ballgown, my hair up in a princess hair do, blue, blinged flats, a blue bow chocker, fangs, and pointy ears. They had me disguised as a Vampire.

             “Attention all ladies. A Hurn policeman and a Glu’Plyman has entered the building looking for his human. All must come to the stage, line up, and look down at your feet.” Trixy announced on the loudspeaker. I was ushered on the stage, and I followed one of the ladies. Trixy, who was sitting on an audience seat, instructed, “Now, you only get to choose one, so choose wisely.”

I was scared because I knew that he was my Master, but others were acting afraid; one constantly cried, and one even fainted. They examined the fainted one and stepped over her to examine the next one.

             “Her.” My Master determined. Everyone, even the one acting like she fainted, in unison looked up, and laughed.

             “Sorry, Buddy, but you are the fifth person this week who has chosen me. I’m a real Vampire, and I’ve been working here as a janitor for fifty years.” The janitor, who has an aged voice, stated. She had a janitor’s uniform on, and looked like she was in her later years. The policeman tested her DNA with a handheld device just to make sure, apologized, and ushered my Master out.

             “Next!” Trixy yelled.

             *** I, Lynx, was furious, and had to be restrained when the Glu’Plyman was announced as looking for his human. Earlier, I was annoyed that they had prevented me from seeing Bertha, and had forced me to get cleaned up, and wear a tux with straight tie. At least, they didn’t force an annoying bow tie on me. When Trixy yelled “Next!”, I was pushed on the stage.

             “You have to choose which one to be your dance partner, and if you don’t, you will have to dance with me.” Trixy presented the challenge. Frustrated because I knew if I gave her a piece of my mind, I would end up dancing with her, I glanced at the line of women. My gaze stopped when I recognized Bertha, I went straight to her, and kissed her hand. She flung herself at me into a hug and started crying. Trixy had everyone dance a few waltzes in the ballroom, and since Bertha seemed to have enjoyed them, I began to enjoy them. She was a bit clumsy at first, but it was the first time she danced. Also, she looked in my eyes for one minute, and blushed while turning away.

             The next day, we left in my space-car, and she sat next to me.

             “Could you put on a waltz?” She asked.

             “Aren’t you going to ask where we are going?” I inquired.

             “I figure that you know where a safe place is.” She answered and smiled with her faux fangs in her smile. The planet that was where humans could live as a free people was only three more stops from Trixy’s, and that’s where we headed to begin a new life. The End.