Chapter 6 Six

Casina moaned like a contented feline and gave a leisurely stretch. Opening her eyes, she was startled to find herself alone in a very large bed with cool, clean sheets. But where? she wondered as she recalled her last conscious moments aboard the alien vessel.

A state of panic enveloped her. Bolting upright, she pulled the satiny coverlet up against her chin and looked about, eyes wide with fear and uncertainty.

The room was much too big for one so small, she noted. It was entirely too grand and laid out like a rich man's palace.

"Where am I?" she whispered, still apprehensive. She lowered the coverlet and pushed it away so she could move her feet to the floor. Wrinkling her toes in the plush carpeting, she giggled, not expecting this. Standing, she stared down at her bare toes, and at the slinky nightie she was now wearing. Long and shimmering gold. It was an amazing choice of sleepwear. "Hm," she murmured, perplexed. This certainly wasn't what she had expected to find upon awakening. Perhaps she'd been returned to Earth after all.

She tiptoed to the opposite side of the room, to the glass doors outlined behind gauzy white curtains. She pushed them aside and peered up at the cloudless blue sky with awe. It was sunny and a bit breezy. She could tell by the tops of the tall, swaying trees visible outside her room.

"Oh, thank God," she said, glad she was no longer on the spaceship. That receptacle they had put her in had been terrifying but only temporary, fortunately, and with no apparent lasting or negative effects that she could discern.

A wonderful floral fragrance assailed her as she pushed open the sliding doors and stepped onto the stone balcony. She paused at the balustrade, closed her eyes, and breathed in the heady fragrance of the flowers. It was so warm, and the sun felt good upon her face. It amazed her, too, how normal she felt, as if all the drugs she had been given at the institute had somehow been erased from her body.

She opened her eyes to gaze about, surprised by the size and beauty of the massive garden below. In the distance, she spied a waterfall, paved walkways, and fountains, as well as a large, serpentine wall that appeared to border the garden's entirety. As before, she couldn't believe her good fortune. After all she had been through, she was still alive. She smiled to herself. What had Jenny Tompkins once called her? A survivor?

With an even wider grin and a cry of delight, she scampered down the adjoining steps and into the garden. The excitement she felt was overwhelming, and she momentarily forgot all of her past pain and fear. Skipping like a child along the walk, she danced happily, whirling about with carefree abandon, with eyes closed and arms spread wide toward the sky, giving no thought to anything else. It wasn't until she collided with someone who was coming around a bend in the walk that she remembered herself. She turned with a quick apology, only to halt in horror at sight of the alien commander. He had halted and was just standing there now, with an inscrutable expression on his face. "I'm...I'm so sorry," she managed, her hands flying to her cheeks in embarrassment. "I didn't see you." Faith, how could she have been so stupid?

He stared mutely down at her, raking his dark gaze over her with disapproval.

"Where you come from," he began after a moment, "is it proper for a young woman to be outside in her nightclothes?"

Casina gaped at him and dropped her hands, wringing them against her breast in consternation. She could feel the hot blush staining her cheeks.

"Uh, n-no," she stammered. "I just...sort of...forgot myself." And all you...aliens! It was clear now that she had not been returned to Earth, as she had hoped.

"It's not that I don't find you rather attractive in that outfit. But in future, I would prefer you abide by our protocols. Is that clear?"

She gave a nervous nod and slowly backed away from him. Then, without another word, she turned and scooted back to her room. For the second time since meeting the alien, he had managed to knock the joy right out of her.

* * * *

The older woman who greeted Casina upon her return was frowning at her. She stood at least a head taller than Casina, was dark-skinned, yet she had a young-looking, chubby face. She wore an elegant, sheer-sleeved, sari-type, calf-length gown with a bright, unusual pattern on it, making her appear more round than she probably was. Her hair was black with streaks of gray in it. This was caught back in an attractive chignon, circled by a peculiar, sparkling purple hair ornament. But what drew Casina's attention were her incredible black eyes, tilted and with her lids attractively decorated with tiny purple-and-gold speckles, like jewels of uncommon origin.

"It is not proper for you to go outside like that, Mees Don'sen," the woman said in a stern voice of reproval, ignoring Casina's curious inspection.

"So I've been told," Casina commented, feeling thoroughly rebuked as her gaze slid down to focus on the queer sandals the woman was wearing.

"I am Mrovia. I have been instructed to assist you."

"Assist me with what?" Casina asked, meeting her gaze, feeling her old attitude returning like a thorn in her side. Faith, why did the aliens seem to bring out the worst in her? she wondered. "All of your needs."

"Such as?"

"Your bath, for one." As she spoke, she dropped the linen she was holding onto the bed and moved to begin disrobing her young charge. Shocked, Casina slapped her hands away.

"Stop!" she ordered. "I can undress myself. Leave me alone."

"No," Mrovia replied in a firm, adamant tone. "It is my duty to assist you...with everything."

"By whose order?"

"The Kaanig's."

"Who's that?"

Mrovia pursed her lips, folding her hands patiently across her large stomach as she explained the situation.

"Kaanig Altair is in charge of Jupitar...and of everything and everyone in it," she said. "He instructed me to take care of you. Whatever you require, you have but to ask me, and I will see what can be done to accommodate you, mistress."

Casina shook her head, believing the whole thing ludicrous. "What? Do you mean that this man has the authority to tell me what to do? I didn't ask to be brought here, wherever that might be.

And what exactly is this...Jupitar?"

But the older woman wasn't put off by Casina's resistance.

"Jupitar is the galaxy we are in, Mees Don'sen. Konatha is the planet we are on. And you are now at TrCasinaar, the home of Kaanig Altair, the one man who rules it all." Casina took a step back, almost sneering.

"Yeah, right. As if that were possible."

But she could tell by the unwavering expression on the woman's face that she certainly believed

it.

"Okay, then," she continued. "So, let's say that what you tell me is true. What then am I supposed to do? I never asked to be brought here, nor do I intend to stay here against my will. Whoever this Kaanig is, he can just go fly a kite, for all I care." Feeling smug at having said this, Casina crossed her arms and took a haughty pose.

"Remove your clothes, mistress. Then go enjoy your bath. I have no time for your nonsense. You have no choice in the matter, believe me."

Taken aback at this, Casina uncrossed her arms and studied her a second. Finally, after thinking better of her behavior, she clamped her mouth shut and turned away. What was the point of arguing with the woman? She was obviously loyal to whoever this Kaanig fellow was and decided not to test her on the matter. She wondered if the woman was supposed to wipe her backside, too, when necessary.

Containing her anger, she wordlessly removed her gown and tossed it at the woman, smirking when it landed over her face and head, before she scurried naked into the adjoining bath chamber. She paused at sight of the four other white-clad, gold-belted females waiting in attendance at each corner of the room. Snorting, she shook her head, knowing there was nothing she could do about their presence either. So, taking no thought to the elegant trappings of this particular room, she carefully stepped into the steaming water of the large, rectangular tub awaiting her and pointedly ignored them. They apparently had been taught to do the same, as she bathed.

After settling against the cool tub and closing her eyes, she had to admit, it had been a long time since she had enjoyed a hot bath and found this one pleasantly scented and refreshing. A short while later, she decided to trust the aliens enough to sample the bottled gels marked with alien symbols, sitting in a large basket nearby, assuming they were hair care products of some sort. When she raised one of the bottles questioningly at one of the attendants, the girl motioned how she was to pour it into her hand and then scrub it into her hair. Hm, okay. Nothing different there.

Later, when nothing atrocious happened to her, she stepped out of the tub, only to find the girl nearest her waiting with some towels. No longer up to being rude to yet another alien, especially to this one who appeared around her own age, Casina merely thanked her and allowed her to perform her duties, which included patting her naked body dry and towel-drying her hair while the others began cleaning the tub area and floor behind her. Fortunately, St. Christi's had helped her to overcome any modesty she may have once had while standing naked in front of complete strangers. She merely raised her arms high and let the alien go at it.

When she finally emerged from the bath chamber, drip-dry and towel-wrapped, she found Mrovia patiently waiting for her. The older woman indicated some fresh garments laid out for her to wear, on the now remade bed. With a quick nod, she quickly dismissed the younger attendants and stood waiting for Casina to accede to her wishes.

Still with an attitude toward her but thinking she had better learn to cooperate or face the consequences, Casina submitted to the woman's ministrations, allowing her to dress her without complaint and, afterward, to run a comb through her long, wet tresses. Tangled, it lay darker than normal about her shoulders and down her back.

"Your hair is so pretty," Mrovia commented, her tone almost of awe, as she struggled with the snarled locks. "I've never seen hair so white before."

"Th-Thank...you. My mother was of Swedish and Norwegian descent."

Mrovia shrugged. "I do not know what that is, but either way, your hair is incredibly lovely. I can see why he is so taken--That is, no one in Jupitar has hair this color," she quickly corrected, clearing her throat.

"What was that?" Casina asked.

"Oh, nothing," the woman said. "Just talking to myself."

"Hm," Casina said, doubting. "So, does everyone here look like you then?" she finally had the nerve to ask. "You know, with dark skin and black hair? You remind me of our native people back home."

"Yes, we are mostly the same here, on Konatha," Mrovia said, shrugging. "But there are many different cultures throughout Jupitar. Not everyone looks exactly the same."

"Is that unusual?"

"Not in Jupitar, but now there will be other changes."

"How so?" Casina turned in her seat at the dressing table to squint up at her. Mrovia gave up on the knot she was fussing with and dropped her hands with resignation.

"Many females have been brought from your planet," she explained. "To be joined with the Kaanig's men. There will be many different hair and skin colors once that happens. It is necessary for the repopulation of our planets."

"But...why would that happen?" Casina said, recalling the women she had discovered aboard the spaceship that had brought her to Jupitar. "I mean, what's wrong with marrying your own kind?"

"A few scalons ago - years, I mean, - several of our vessels encountered a strange meteor shower that contaminated them with a deadly virus just before they passed through the black void leading to our galaxy. The men aboard later picked it up when they left the ships, unaware of the deadliness of the organism they had brought back with them to Jupitar. When that happened, many of our population were also infected." Mrovia gave a sigh, recalling the sadness prevalent at that occurrence. She picked up a lock of Casina's hair and resumed combing as she spoke. "Millions of our women and children perished," she continued. "Later, the Altair felt it necessary to bring back choice females from your planet, which were needed to help repopulate our world. Your race seems most compatible with ours, which is why it was chosen. The final group of females was brought back just yesterday, on the same ship you arrived in."

"I am so sorry," Casina said, sincerity in her tone as understanding dawned.

"There," Mrovia said, finished with her task. "Now, if you like, you may explore the garden until evening repast. Or there is some reading material on the table in your language, in the small study." She indicated another doorway. "There is a conditioning chamber just off of that, should you wish to use it. There is also some fruit on the table, if you want a light meal now. It is so late, I thought it best not to bring you a large meal before high time, although I will bring you some merida - some tea - if you wish it."

Casina's attitude changed. "A conditioning chamber? What on earth is that?"

Mrovia paused to look at her. "For meditation," she said in all sincerity. "Or...prayer."

Casina considered this information, intrigued. "Prayer? As in...God?"

"Yes, mistress."

"That's amazing. Even all these light years from Earth, with all of your advanced technology, you still believe in a Higher Power?"

"Without the Source of all power, mistress, our Kaanig would not be able to rule the galaxy as he does."

Casina shook her head. "Hm. That's interesting."

"Yes."

"Was I brought here for the same reason the others were then?" Casina asked, changing the subject, being more interested now as to why she had been kidnapped by the Jupitarians. "To join with one of your men?"

The woman frowned then. "I think it best that the man responsible explain his reasons for bringing you here. From what I understand, he was rescuing you from a bad place and some bad men." "Oh," Casina said in a small voice, almost of disappointment. As she thought about her circumstances when the aliens had arrived, she came to the conclusion that perhaps that's all it had been. A rescue. After all, as she considered her last days on Earth, what were the aliens to have done? Leave her there for the orderlies to drug and take back to the institute? Instead of being kidnapped, as she had initially supposed, perhaps it was indeed just a group of aliens rescuing her. But for what purpose? They could have left her someplace safe on Earth instead of kidnapping her themselves. "But, why did they bring me here?" she asked. "Why not leave me in America, where I belong? I told you, I didn't ask them to bring me here."

"You will be told everything in good time. Please don't ask me again," the older woman said, a touch of sympathy in her tone. She walked away in dismissal, hoisted up a pile of dirty laundry, and made to leave.

"Well, what about this?" Casina said, hurrying over to bare her wrist for the woman's inspection. "What is this? Why was this put here?"

Mrovia paused, her brow furrowed as she stared at the mark embedded in Casina's upturned wrist. She carefully readjusted the pile in her arms, then shoved up her left sleeve.

"Most everyone in Jupitar has them at some point, mistress. You are no exception." She showed her charge the mark she had on her person. Similar in size, the shape, design, and colors were different, but her point was made, just the same. Casina gaped at it briefly then stepped away.

"I see," was all she said, then watched as the woman yanked her sleeve down and quickly exited. When Casina tried to follow, the two guards posted outside the door made it clear that she was not allowed past them. She heard them secure the large double doors as soon as she stepped back inside. Frowning, she folded her hands with resignation.

So, she was still a prisoner, after all.