The Human Girl (A Star Trek Story)

06. Planets

Grerish led me through the ship. She took me into a room and I stopped. It was an observatory kind of room. There was a giant window in the center of the ceiling and a giant telescope sitting underneath it.

I stared in wonder as I slowly stepped farther inside. There were maps of the stars covering the walls. Small models of planets hung from the ceiling.

I reached up and brushed one of the planets. "Which one is Kronos?"

Grerish looked up for a moment and walked over to one planet. I went over to her and gently touched the planet. It was green and the planet was larger than the others.

"This is it?" I asked.

Grerish nodded. "I was born on this continent." Grerish pointed to one of the continents. "There are five million people in the city I was born in."

"It looks beautiful," I commented.

"It truly is," Grerish said. "What's your planet like?"

"It's covered in a lot of water," I replied. "There's some landmasses too. It's green, just like Kronos. Just not as much as Kronos."

"How many people are on your planet?" Grerish asked.

I frowned. "I'm pretty sure there was eight million when I was there last. I'm not sure, but I think I time traveled."

Grerish laughed. "Time travel doesn't exist, Zari. At least not on Kronos."

My fingers brushed Kronos again. "Maybe not. I don't know. I'm not sure what happened. One moment I was on Earth and the other I was here."

Grerish nodded. "That's okay. You don't need to worry about it. You're here now and that's all that matters."

I nodded and looked around the room. There were a lot of planets hanging from the roof.

"Why are there so many planets hanging from the roof?" I asked.

"The school teacher on board had all the children do it," Grerish replied. "All these planets are planets we have control over. It was a learning experience for the children."

"You guys are like-like" I stuttered. I didn't know the Klingon word for conqueror. I looked at Grerish. "You guys take over planets and peoples."

Grerish nodded. "Yes, we do. We Klingons are a militaristic species. We are violent and cruel."

"Why are you and Mazew nice to me then?" I asked. "You certainly would've killed me by now."

Grerish took a step toward me. "Mazew loves you. He wants you treated with the utmost respect. He doesn't want you treated like dirt."

I looked at the constellations on the walls. "I admire him for that he treats me like that."

Grerish joined my side. "A true Klingon treats his lady like the queen she is."

I smiled. "He sure does. The men on my planet aren't as amazing as Mazew."

"Mazew and I are actually from the same house," Grerish commented.

"Really?"

Grerish nodded, smiling. "We grew up together in the House of Korath, one of the twenty-four ruling houses. We are of royalty."

"Are you siblings?" I asked.

"Cousins," Grerish replied. "My mother married into the family."

I nodded understandingly. "Sounds complex, though."

Grerish chuckled. "It is, sometimes. Do you have houses? On your planet?"

I shook my head. "Not really. We have countries."

"Countries?" Grerish said in harsh English.

I cursed myself for saying an English word. Grerish wouldn't understand me.

"We have land masses," I explained. "And these land masses are split into small groups called countries. I don't know the Klingon word for it. It's kinda like houses. Except instead of families, it's millions of people."

Grerish nodded. "I understand now. Learning Klingon must have been hard for you."

I nodded. "It was, but I got it. I speak enough to know what you're saying."

"Yes, you do," Grerish said. "Do you want to return to Mazew's quarters?"

I nodded. "Thank you for everything, Grerish."

She just nodded in return. "Anything, Zari."