Darkstar, Chapter One
Chapter 1
Josephine
I'm dreaming. I have to be fucking dreaming. My body is trembling as I stare at the figure standing in my doorway. It's Lacey, my best friend who has been missing for seven months. Her once long blonde hair is now cut into a bob that bounces around her face. She's wearing the same outfit she had on when she disappeared seven months ago - ripped jeans, a Metallica t-shirt, and a leather jacket. But what catches my attention is the spaceship parked in the middle of the gravel road, its sleek silver exterior glinting under the moonlight. I scan my surroundings and realize that we are lucky to have no neighbors nearby except for cows and corn fields.
"I...." I can't even form a coherent sentence as I stare at her in shock.
"Jo, come on!" Her green eyes sparkle with excitement. "I need my bestie!"
I shake my head, unable to process what's going on. "Lace, what the hell is happening? Where have you been? How did you get a spaceship? Is this real?" I glance at my watch and realize it's two in the morning.
She grins even wider, reminding me of our wild senior year when we stole her dad's mustang for a joyride. "Aliens, Jo. Aliens abducted me and I took their damn ship."
Aliens. That word sounds ridiculous coming from her mouth. "What are they doing in Montana?"
She shrugs nonchalantly. "Who cares? You always said you wanted to leave this place. Well," she gestures towards the spaceship behind her. "I'm here to take you on the ride of your life."
A mix of excitement and fear bubbles inside me as I consider her offer. This is insane, but a small part of me wants to know what else is out there beyond Earth.
"This is...real?" I ask cautiously.
Her face lights up with pure joy. "Absolutely not!"
Despite my better judgment, I feel myself being drawn in by her enthusiasm. "Is it safe?" I finally ask.
Lacey's grin turns mischievous. "Hell no!"
My heart is pounding so hard I can taste it on my tongue as I stare at her, unable to find words. She leads me onto the ship and I run my fingers over the smooth metal hull, feeling the low thrumming of energy beneath my hand. This is unreal. It's a spaceship. A real live spaceship, no bigger than a city bus and sleek like a bullet, sitting in the middle of the dirt road.
"All right," I can taste the metallic tang of adrenaline on my tongue as the words fall out. "Count me in," I say with a shaky voice, unable to contain my excitement and nerves.
Lacey's face lights up in a wide grin, and she pulls me into a tight hug. As her arms wrap around my neck, memories flood back to a time when she was just up the road and we saw each other daily. The familiar scent of her mixed with a strange tang of motor oil hits me, and I'm sucker-punched with a wave of nostalgia. But before I can get lost in the past, she grabs my hand and drags me towards her ship.
We buckle ourselves in and Lacey starts up the engines. I can feel the ship shuddering beneath me as it lifts off the ground. My stomach does a flip, and I squeal but I'm not sure if in delight or panic. This is the most incredible thing I've ever done—not just flying, but being here with Lacey, leaving earth.
"Look," Lacey says from beside me. "That's the, well, it's name won't make sense until you get the datalink, but it translates to 'Darkstar'."
I turn in my seat and my jaw drops as I take in the massive spaceship in front of us. In comparison to other spaceships I've seen on TV and in movies, it may not be that big, but it still towers over everything else at the docking station. Its sleek, dark metal exterior gleams under the bright lights, sending shivers down my spine.
An alien voice crackles through the intercom, and Lacey quickly presses a button. "We're cleared for docking. We have to move fast or the ISS will detect us."
I'm still stunned. "Of course."
As we get closer, the size of the Darkstar seems to grow exponentially. It reminds me of when my family went on a cruise in high school - the boat didn't seem that impressive until we were right next to it. Now, as we slowly glide into the waiting dock of this massive ship, I can't help but feel utterly insignificant.
The door slides open with a hiss, revealing an alien crew member standing tall inside. He has scaly greenish-blue skin and piercing yellow eyes that stare back at us curiously. Surprisingly, instead of feeling scared, I find his presence comforting. He tilts his reptilian head, blinking at me. I notice he has two sets of eyelids. So... that's neat.
Lacey starts speaking to him in their language while I look around in awe. The walls are lined with hundreds of monitor screens, each displaying readings and data from various sensors on the ship. It's overwhelming, but also fascinating.
Feeling slightly overwhelmed, I reach for Lacey's hand as we step out of our shuttle and onto the ship. "This is all so surreal," I whisper.
Lacey grins at me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I know, right? We're actually on an alien spaceship, Jo. It's like something out of a sci-fi movie."
"Yeah, but what if they decide to dissect us or something?" I say half-jokingly, my heart still racing with nerves.
Lacey rolls her eyes. "Oh please, Jo. These guys are friendly. They're just as curious about us as we are about them. We'll be fine."
I take a deep breath and remind myself to trust Lacey's judgment before following her lead deeper into the ship. As we pass by more alien crew members going about their tasks, I want to stop and watch them work.
"You do remember that they kidnapped you, right?" I ask, my eyes still on the aliens as they work.
Lacy pulls me by the hand. "Well… these guys didn't. They're the good guys. I promise!"
I take a deep breath, trying to push my fear aside. "Okay. So, what's next?"
"Med-ops," She replies and pulls me into the hall. The crew glances at me, but goes about their tasks.
I want to cling to Lacey like I did on the first day of kindergarten, but opt for holding her hand. She rattles off information about this ship and the crew and I'm not listening.
"I learned how to read and write the language of the Hiv'ex Raan, They're the main aliens in the 'verse, but not the ones who took me. Those were the Vcruuleans. They have, uh, many uses for humans, none of them good." Her eyes seem distant as she recounts her experiences. "I had to pretend to be a dumb, scared human for so long, I almost started to believe it." A bitter laugh escapes her lips. "But it worked. I was able to take control of the ship and space the crew."
My heart drops at her nonchalant admission. "Spaced? Does that mean what I think it means?"
She nods, a somber expression crossing her face. "Yes."
A sick feeling settles in my gut. "Did you have to?"
She stops walking and turns to me, her eyes filled with sorrow. It's the first time since she knocked on my door that I've seen this side of her. "You don't know what they did to me, Jo. There were only eighteen survivors out of all those who were taken."
I hold onto her hand tightly, trying to offer comfort. "So...the datalink? Does it hurt?"
She shakes her head and a ghost of a smile crosses her lips. "It's kinda like being zapped. It's fine."
It sounds like being tased, but I keep that thought to myself.
As we walk through the alien ship, Lacey confidently leads the way while I nervously trail behind her. Several aliens approach us, their features and appearances varying greatly, and Lacey speaks to them in a fluid language that I don't recognize. They all nod or smile at me before going about their business.
Eventually, we reach a room that looks like a standard Earth hospital room, except for the unfamiliar equipment lining the walls. Lacey motions for me to sit in one of the chairs next to her. "Okay, so the datalink is a device that implants information directly into your brain. It allows you to understand and communicate in any language. It's pretty amazing, Jo. You'll be able to talk to any alien you come across."
I nod, still feeling a little apprehensive. "And it doesn't hurt?"
She shakes her head. "No. Quick zap. A small piercing to your brain through the temple and you're fine."
My jaw drops as I watch the alien doctor approach us. His long, slender fingers are adorned with shiny metal caps and his dark, piercing eyes seem to study me closely. Lacey immediately jumps up to speak with him, waving her hands and pointing at me. It's like a scene from a sci-fi movie. The doctor speaks in his language and Lacey responds in English, creating an odd back-and-forth conversation. I can't help but think of Charlie Brown's teacher as I snort at the absurdity of the situation.
Suddenly, the doctor speaks and gestures for me to come forward. He is shorter than I expected, with multiple sets of eyes that blink rapidly as he assesses me. "He wants to know if you have any pathogens," Lacey translates.
I shake my head. "No, it was just...dust." Although the ship doesn't look like it gets dusty.
The doctor's gaze lingers on me, his six eyes taking in my entire form. I try to give him a convincing smile, but he seems unimpressed. To my horror, he motions for me to sit in a strange-looking chair that resembles a dentist's examination chair.
As soon as I sit down, the doctor attaches odd devices to my head and arms. A strange energy begins to course through my body, causing me to squirm uncomfortably. Lacey takes my hand and urges me to relax as the doctor continues his examination. Just as quickly as the energy started, it ends, leaving me panting. It was intense but not so much I couldn't handle it.
"Is that it?" I ask hopefully.
Lacey giggles. "Not yet." My heart sinks as the doctor approaches me with a longest needle I've ever seen. Panic sets in as I realize what is about to happen.
Oh.
Oh, holy shit.