The Human Child Named Jane
A small, grimy little girl glared up at her captor who was talking with a customer on the other side of the plasma wall. Their features warped from the plasma blocking her view but the young girl could easily see the customer nod their head while handing her captor the money. As an opening sliced through the plasma wall, the little girl ran to her bed, reached under the mattress and pulled out a sharpened arrowhead necklace. A determined fire burned in her forest green eyes as she told herself that she would not go without a fight.
The customer walked through the opening first, now without the distortion from the plasma, the girl could see that the being was clearly an alien, just like her captor. From the light of the plasma-wall, the girl could see that the alien had sea-green skin with dark blue markings, two tubes that ran to a pack on its back connected to its neck, supplying water to its gills. The alien had to hunch over in the 6 foot heigh cell. After the aquatic alien made it in the girl's captor followed suite. It skin a scaly green and grey color, with dangerous yellow reptilian eyes.
Trying to put up a brave front despite her quaking legs, the girl brushed her firey red hair behind her ear out of her face, she raised the arrowhead, and warned: "Do...don't take a...a another step towards me!"
The aquatic alien blinked its dark blue almost black eyes, which took up the majority of its smooth face, fascinated by her response. Her captor, on the other hand, snarled revealing pointed teeth and a forked tongue.
"Hold your tongue girl!" It demanded as it railed back its arm holding a whip full of spikes.
Terrified of the whip the girl squeaked in fear and tried to cover herself. Before the dangerous whip could hit its mark the aquatic alien caught it with uncanny speed.
With a smooth and steady voice, it said: "You will not harm my human in any way, shape or form.-" It turned to the reptilian alien with a stern glare. "-Is that understood?"
"Ye...yes s-sir," It responded immediately, shaking violently in fear.
"Come along young one," The marine alien commanded gently as he turned to walk out of the cell.
Not wanting to anger him after seeing her captor so scared, the little girl quickly scampered after him. They walking in silence for some time, as they walked the little girl looked into all the cells they passed, trying to see who or what was inside. But all of the cells were blurred by the plasma wall keeping the prisoners inside. When the alien she was following finally spoke the little girl jumped and tried to make herself as small as possible while still walking
"What is your name young one?" He asked, not looking back as he spoke.
"Jane Skyler!" she replied with as much confidence as she could muster.
The alien chuckled in amusement.
"Your age?"
Jane was quiet for a moment as she counted her fingers.
"9 and a half sir!" she replied triumphantly.
After giving Jane a nod he stayed silent.
Bored, Jane ignored all the lessons beat into her by the reptilian captor to not speak until spoken too, she asked: "What is your name?"
When he didn't respond for a few minutes Jane started to panic.
"In your tongue, it is pronounced as Takaak, "Was his simple reply after some time.
"Takaak," she repeated, testing the feel of it on her tongue.
Unbeknownst to her, Takaak smiled softly when Jane said his name. The rest of the journey to the ship Jane talked about random things that came to her 9-year-old mind, all the while Takaak stayed quiet, enjoying Jane's new-found courage to speak her mind.
Just as the little human started running out of breath from the lack of exercise from being trapped in the cell, the two arrived at the hanger. A rather impressive ship was docked in the center of the hanger, with the crew loading supplies into it. Jane's heart speeds up with excitement as they walked straight to the enormous ship. As she admired the ship Jane thought that maybe things won't be as bad as she thought.
To her disappointment they veered left past the ship and walked straight to an old run-down space ship. As they walked closer Jane could see a few exposed wires on the outside of the ship along with one missing landing leg.
"Is that ship even functional?" She asked, more to herself than the alien beside her.
Either Takaak didn't care that she was talking to herself or he didn't notice as he said: " She still flies despite how she looks."
Jane paled at the thought of flying in that ship, she almost wanted to be given back to her captor, at least she has a higher chance of survival. As if the marine alien could tell what she was thinking, he grabbed her arm and slightly pulled her along. They walked up the creaky hanger door. Inside the ship, they were greeted by one of the crew members.
"Captain!" a slender gold-colored alien exclaimed when they had entered.
"Hello Tallgi, is everything ready for departure?" Takaak asked, holding on to Jane who was still wanting to bolt.
The alien now known as Tallgi nodded: "All set captain, we just awaiting your command for take off."
"Very good." He said as he pushed Jane towards Tallgi, " I would like to introduce our newest crew member, she is a human named Janie."
"Jane, " she corrected him quietly.
Leaning down Tallgi touched Janes's face with his two long fingers with round little pads at the end.
"She is a young one, isn't she?"
Takaak nodded, "I was told the young ones are able to live longer since they apparently have a shorter life span than most races."
"I see." he stopped touching Jane's face, which she was immensely grateful for and stood up, "Shall we introduce her to the rest of the crew Captain?"
"Of course, she is one of us now."
Jane stood there slightly confused as her life started to take a new and dangerous direction.