“Really. You need to stop,” I tell him and level him with my most serious look.
Boss walks in the room and everyone hunches lower in their seats. He strides through the rows of tables, head held high, dead eyes inspecting everything in the room. They act like this is some egalitarian society, but I’m seeing some signs confirming this is the one pulling the strings around here.
“The goddess has spoken. She must feed herself,” Boss says.
I do not appreciate males speaking for me.
I really wish Elowenwerehere.She would know what to do. I have zero experience outside of Earth and the research lab on j’Tilak. My well-traveled friend would know how to handle this weird situation.
It’s quiet. I could cut the tension with a knife.
Looking around, I offer a friendly smile to anyone who makes eye contact with me. I notice the brethren are all eating a grayish mush while Boss and I have a much fancier spread ahead of us. The realization makes the food taste sour in my mouth. They aren’t equal here at all.
I stand up from the table and grab my plate, looking to see where the dirty dishes go. The first guy I met back at my room takes the plate from me.
“Thank you…brother?” My voice turns up at the end as I test out what exactly I’m supposed to call him.
“You may call me Brethren, Holy One,” he says and bows deeply.
“I’m really supposed to call you all ‘brethren’? Wouldn’t the singular be ‘brother’?” If I really was their goddess, the first thing I’d do is clear up this brother/brethren nonsense.
I am met with blank stares. They seem perplexed by what I said.
Okay, maybe not. I’m going to roll with it.
“If you are finished with your meal, I can return you to your room, GloriousCloudweaver.”
His eyes dart to Boss, who gives him a nod of approval.
Once we are away from the dining room, and away from Boss’s prying eyes, I test the waters with this guy.
“So,don’tget me wrong, dinner was nice, but you know you don’t have to do whatever the boss says,” I tell him.
“Boss?” he asks, confused.
“Yeah, the guy in charge. He orders you all around like you’re at his beck and call.”
“We are all equal here. There is no one in charge.” He sounds so sincere. He doesn’t seem to know any better.
“I just want everyone to actuallybeequal, ya know?”
“We are all equal in serving our goddess,” hesays, genuinely confused.
They are damn lucky I crashed here and not some narcissist who would take advantage of their beliefs. The wrong person would relish the opportunity to have these aliens do their bidding. Maybe I can get them to think critically, so next time someone wanders into the colony they’ll be more prepared. In the meantime, I need to get a message to Elowen thatI’msafe.
“I really need to get a message to my people. Where is your comms system? Doyouhave those here?”
His face shifts from confusion to intense focus. His wide black eyes zero in onme,all affection and reverence gone.
“That is not possible. There is no way to get a message out. We don’t have the technology to communicate off Sabaak. The goddess, I mean…youdemand we live a humble life.”
He opens the door to my room and swiftly closes it behind me.
Getting out of here is proving to be a little more difficult than I thought.
I’m stuck on a Paleolithic planet with a creepy cult. I’m not crazy about any of them, especially Boss. I hate how he treats everyone.
I am so ready to get out of these uncomfortable clothes and back into my coveralls. I search the room for my clothing. I open every drawer, look under the bed, and check the bathroom. They’re gone.
