Incipience

Chapter 1

It was only a day ago that I left home. There was so little time to say goodbye, and even less for explanations. It was less than forty minutes between them knocking on my door and us taking off in a shuttle heading towards their ship. It didn't take more than a few minutes for me to realize something wasn't right. For beings here for a cultural exchange, they were far from diplomatic nor welcoming in the slightest.

I was the only one from St. Thomas to be selected to go up to the ship, so it was only me and two of their officials in the small, mini-van sized shuttle. I attempted to make small talk and ask details about who they are and was met with a steely silence. When I got to the ship, the officials—soldiers, actually. They're far too armed and guarded to be classified as politicians or anything of the sort—immediately started to drag me about even though I wasn't putting up a fight. I couldn't even if I wanted to! I could barely breathe, more or less fight. The gravity here on the ship is so much stronger than Earth's, so they had no problem carting me to a large barrack full of women and dropping me like a bag of rocks in one of the hundreds of medical beds lining the room.

Several of them zoomed around the room, connecting the other women to IVs and breathing masks. It's only when they were close to me that I saw that they were putting us all to sleep. My anxiety and suspicion grew stronger by the second. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, and no way to run.

I tried to ask one of them what they were doing, what gas they were trying to give me, and why they were doing this to us if they're supposed to be our allies, but I was silenced with a mask. 

This was a trap! repeated in my head over and over again. We weren't brought here for diplomacy's sake, that much I know for sure. There's no way their intentions with us are anything of the friendly variety judging from the way they're treating us.

I tried to hold my breath to keep from inhaling the unknown substance, but I could only hold out for so long. Eventually, I took an involuntary gasp and within seconds everything went black.

...

I let out a small, irritated sigh. I woke up roughly an hour ago and, like any normal person would, stood up in search of a bathroom. It took a second to unhook myself from the machines they put me in and build up enough strength to remain upright, but I eventually hobbled my way across the large room to the exit. Unfortunately, I only got as far as the barrack's doors before an alarm went off and a swarm of them were on me. I was immediately rushed to this holding cell without a single word, and have remained here since despite my frequent requests for a bathroom break.

After what feels like an eternity sitting in this bleak room, one of them comes striding in. I take it that the individual in front of me is important, given how heavily decorated with symbols and patches their uniform is. All of the others I've seen in my short time here have only had one or two noticeable markings on their uniforms. This one has so many that you can't even see any of the armor's material in some places.

The figure takes a seat before me and cuts right to the chase.

"How are you awake?"

I take a moment to take in the being before me. I can't see any of their features since they're covered from head to toe in a military-like uniform. No matter how hard I try to peer into their visor, I can't see past the black glass to see what they really look like. What I am able to glean is that they are tall, roughly 6'5 I'd guess, sturdy, and unnaturally poised. If they are anything like humans, then there has to be some training involved in getting the individual in front of me to hold themselves with as much authority as they are now.