The Human Girl (A Star Trek Story)

03. Tour

I woke up to yelling and banging. Klingon guards were walking down halls, hanging on the cell bars. Ayala and I scrambled to our feet and stood at attention.

One of the guards slammed open our cell door and roughly grabbed my arm. He dragged me out of the cell and down the hall.

I stumbled after him, trying not to trip. The guard dragged me through the halls of the ship and shoved me through some doors.

Mazew stood at his deck, looking at some tablet of some sort. He looked up and set down his tablet. He pulled out the translator and pressed a button.

"Please, sit down," Mazew said. "Zari, right?"

I nodded, sitting down. "Why am I here again?"

Mazew went to where the drinks were, pouring some. "I wanted to talk to you, to get to know you better."

I squinted my eyes at him. "Why? I'm a prisoner. I'm no one special."

Mazew came back and placed a cup in front of me before sitting down in his chair. "You're special to me, Zari, because you're different and intriguing. I want to know what you're like, what your story is."

I brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. "Well, I'm from Earth. Before I got transported here, I was hiking with a friend. I have three siblings and a few pets. I don't know how to describe myself though."

Mazew took a sip of his drink. "What's your planet like, my dear?"

"It's mostly water," I answered. "About 71 percent of it is water, if I remember correctly. The rest is land. It's really nice, in my opinion." Mazew smiled at this. "It's an M Class planet, which means it's able to sustain life. What's your planet like?"

Mazew shook his finger and stood up. "That's not on the table right now. I want to know about your planet. How many people live on Earth?"

I took a breath. "I don't know. I don't know how much time has passed, but the last time I was on Earth, there were about seven billion people. Why are you asking all these questions?"

Mazew picked up a plate of food and placed it in front of me. "I am curious about your people. You look so different from my people and I. Your planet seems so different too. Does everyone in your species look the same as you do?"

I nodded, looking at the food. My stomach growled. "Yeah. We all look very similar with the facial features and body. We have different skin colors." I held out my arm and pointed at it. "There are dark-skinned people like me and light skinned people. Everything in between, too."

Mazew grabbed his own plate and sat back down. "So much variety. Your planet seems so amazing and mysterious. Do all humans have hair like yours?"

I shook my hair, picking up a fork looking thing. "No. Some people have straight hair and some people have wavy hair. Some people have hair like me. There's a lot of variety with languages too."

Mazew ate slowly, listening. "Why don't you eat, Zari? You're probably hungry."

I ate quicker. The food actually tasted really good. I've always liked trying new food.

"Is Klingon the only language on your world?" I asked. "What's the name of your planet, by the way?"

Mazew stared at me. "My homeworld is called Kronos. Klingon is the only language spoken there, though there are slight differences."

I started to feel full. "Where are we going? Are we going to Kronos or somewhere else?"

Mazew looked sad all of a sudden. "We're going to Kronos. This is a prisoner ship."

"Are we going to be doing slave work?" I asked.

Mazew nodded grimly. "I'm sorry."

"I thought the Klingons weren't supposed to be apologetic," I said, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms.

Mazew looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Zari. I won't make you a slave. I promise."

"Didn't think Klingons did that either."

Mazew reached across the desk and placed it in front of me. "Please, Zari, don't act this way. I don't want you to be a slave. I'll get you out of this situation. Forgive me."

I glared at him before nodding. Mazew smiled weakly before pulling his hand back. My mouth was suddenly dry, so I grabbed the cup and took a sip. It tasted like strong wine.

"Trying to get me drunk?"

Mazew smiled. "No. I thought you'd like it. Do you?"

I shrugged. "It's alright. I've had better."

Mazew raised an eyebrow. "You have alcohol on your planet?"

I nodded, taking another sip. "We have a lot. Some of it's strong, some of it isn't."

Mazew nodded slowly. "Your planet sounds interesting. Maybe I should show you around my planet when we get there."

I nodded, biting my lip. "I think that would be nice. I've always wanted to see what other planets look like."

"Your species doesn't have space travel?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. We're working on it. Since I don't know what year it is on my planet, I don't know if we've achieved it yet."

Mazew stared at me thoughtfully. "Do you want a tour of our ship?"

I brightened up, smiling brightly. "Of course. I've always wanted to see a spaceship."

Mazew and I got up and he led me out the doors. He waved off the guards standing by the doors and said something to them before taking me away. We stood side by side as Mazew walked me through the ship. As we walked, I noticed other Klingons would step aside and greet Mazew with respect.

When there weren't many Klingons around, I tugged on Mazew's sleeve. "Why do they treat you with respect? Are you the captain?"

Mazew nodded. "Yes, I am. I am a good captain."

I bit my lip, not wanting to say anything. Mazew led me through the ship, showing me around. The ship was dark and grim. When other Klingons passed, they stared at me with disgust and a few with curiosity.

A few hours later, Mazew and I returned to his office. I sat back down and yawned.

"Why didn't we go to the bridge?" I asked. "Is it super secret or something?"

Mazew breathed heavily. "I don't think you can see the bridge yet, but you can see it later."

I bit my lip. "Sounds reasonable to me. Some things aren't meant to be seen by outsiders."

"You won't be an outsider for much longer, Zari," Mazew reassured.

"Hopefully."