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He pointed to a door to my right. “Go on inside, and prepare for takeoff. My brother hates this planet and doesn’t want to be docked here any longer than he has to be.” He put his hand on my back gently to lead me in the direction, but I flinched against his touch and walked a little faster to avoid any contact.
Crossing the threshold of the control room, I could actually taste the electricity in the air. The metallic smell singed the hair in my nostrils, and the thick odor of diesel caused tears to form in my eyes. I wondered if the simplest spark would set the entire ship into a big ball of flames.
A deep command came from the pilot’s chair. “Sit down and buckle up. We’re leaving now.”
“That’s my brother, Pike,” the first twin said as he gently guided me to an empty seat that was bolted against the far right side of the bridge. “I’m Cross by the way. We saw on your stats report that your name is Truth. Is that correct?”
I didn’t respond and silently took my position, taking hold of the straps and latching them across my body. The frayed edges, and the musty smell proved the brothers had transported many a slave to their final destination. But with the inadequate size of this ship, clearly one slave at a time.
Cross took the seat next to his brother Pike, and they both prepared for takeoff. With the bulkiness of the chair, the shadows in the room, and the way all the lights of the control panel lit up the area, I couldn’t make out the color of Pike’s lifeblood. Not that it really mattered I guess, but curiosity caused me to strain my neck to see if I could catch a glimpse. His brother Cross had a magnificent shade of gold, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Pike had the same level of vividness.
The rumble of the engine shook my body as the ship readied for takeoff. Lights, bells, and the sound of the brothers pushing buttons and flipping switches would be the last thing I would hear on the planet of Unin. A very sad ending and sendoff.
Cross looked over his shoulder at me and asked, “Are you all set? Ready to go?”
I nodded in response, then I closed my eyes and silently bid farewell to a planet, to a life, and to a sister that were all no more. From this moment on, I would be Truth—the Pallid Slave.
21
Saying I was tired would have been an understatement. The fact that by simply closing my eyes for a second, sent me into a deep dreamless sleep, proved my level of exhaustion. I had slept entirely through takeoff and exiting the atmosphere. I could only assume that with a ship of this size and age, entering into space could not have been a smooth process—and yet, I slept through it all. It wasn’t until I was being shaken awake by Cross that I finally stirred from my slumber.
“Come on. Let me show you to your quarters,” he said with a smile. A smile…I hadn’t seen a smile since…well, I wasn’t sure when the last time was.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked out the large windows. Nothing but black with far off shimmers of light. For the first time in my life, I was in space and no longer on Unin.
An overwhelming sense of sadness overtook me when I remembered that my sister and I had often fantasized about flying amongst the stars and planets. We wanted to leave Unin and explore what the vastness of the sky had hidden in the depths of blackness. As very young children, Trinity and I would talk about how we would eat the tiny little stars like candy.
“We’ll gobble them all up and let them sparkle in our stomachs,” she would say.
Such dreamers and so full of hope. A whimsical magic we shared until the years of battle destroyed it all. If only Trinity could be here to see the stars with me. If only for a moment.
“Where are you taking me?” My voice cracked, and I suddenly realized how thirsty I was. If I was asked when was the last time I drank water, I truly wouldn’t know the answer to that question.
“The planet of Canary,” Cross answered as he reached down between my legs and unsnapped my safety harness. I looked at his hand between the juncture of my thighs, prepared to rip it from his limb if he even dared tried to touch me there. He must have sensed my intention, because he paused, looked into my eyes, and removed his hand slowly. Looking back at the large seat that still concealed Pike, he added, “It’s roughly 720 hours away, so we have quite the journey.”
