Chapter Text
The next day you awoke with a bandage wrapped around your self inflicted wound and your nails cut extremely short. So short that the nail bed underneath peaked through and that it hurt due to the exposed underside. You hated to admit that you did have the best sleep of your life, and it wasn’t even a competition. As your eyes slowly opened and you stretched out feeling the ethereal sheets. You tried to soak up all of the good you could before your brain eventually caught up with the fact you were kidnapped and had no chance of escape. It didn’t take long for that dread to creep in.
There was a message on the side table. It was a hologram that took the shape of the words “FOR TODAY.” As you reached your hand out to touch it, it faded away morphing around your fingers. The blue fluorescent light shimmered across your face, coming back once your hand stopped obstructing it. You wanted to ignore the message, to turn over again and close your eyes. You didn’t want to be here and the comfort of the bed certainly didn’t help with this mindset. That was when the beeping started.
At first it was faint, barely registered. You thought it was just the ship making a noise not meant for your ears. Then it slowly got louder, slipping past the thick mountain of covers and weaseling its way into your ears. The harder you ignored it, the stronger it became. You eventually gave in, you had to or it would burst your eardrums with the way the volume ever increased. You slammed the contraption with your hand, causing it to shimmer and fade away. A sigh of relief came out but was quickly turned into a grunt of frustration. You grabbed the small circular disc from where the light was emulating and threw it as hard as you could across the room, aiming for the wall and hoping to shatter it. All it did was bounce off of it and blast its shining light into your eyes.
You murmured a swear as you squirmed your way to it. There was a small button that appeared as you held it, when pressed the beeping ceased. A list of to-do's rolled out, each one more monotonous than the last. Getting dressed was the first one, as if you planned to walk around a cold ship completely naked. You were to meet the Grand Regent in thirty minutes for a meal. That was the next one. You really didn’t want to see him again, but there was really no avoiding the man. You wiped the grog out of your eyes, reaching for the outfit that was laid out for you.
The dark brown jumpsuit was a lot tighter than you had remembered. Staring at the reflection of yourself as the clothes gripped your shape. It accentuated your body, leaving little to the imagination. No wonder everyone had that little flap over their gunk, you thought. As you approached the door, it automatically opened with a form overwhelming yours once again.
“You’re ready, good.” Was all Thragg had said. He stared down at your own form without moving his head downward. You hated how he viewed you as lesser, but you hated how you knew you were. There was nothing you could have done about it. Even if you managed to somehow overpower him, how would you manage to escape this hell hole of a ship?
He began to float off as you rushed to catch up with him, having to take large strides to keep up with his speed. The thought crossed your mind, why weren’t you floating too? There must have been some form of artificial gravity because you weren’t levitating off of the ground right beside him. Honestly it felt as if the weight was heavier than usual. Was that on purpose? To make you have to exert more energy just to walk around? As your brain racked through all of the potential ways you were being mentally tormented, you had arrived at a dining hall. It was massive, just like everything on this ship. The table was lined with an excessive amount of plates and tableware. It was a stark white marble table that spanned the entirety of the room, able to fit twenty people at least. He floated down to the end of the table. You didn’t want to sit directly next to him, but couldn’t sit too far in case you offended him. You still had no idea how he would react if you acted out of line so you sat a few chairs down. Close enough to carry a conversation without shouting, but far enough to give you an early start to run. As if a few extra seconds would be enough, the crick in your neck still present from your arrival.
Thragg cleared his throat. “You will eat.” He had such a way with words you thought, rolling your eyes. His tone was so rigid and lacked any sort of warmth. “Afterwards, we will discuss your role.”
“Role?” You had asked but before you could get an answer, multiple trays of food were carried out by servants. They all wore the brown jumpsuit you had. They placed the plates in front of you and Thragg, unveiling mountains of food. You felt as if you had taken part in an eating challenge where you had to consume your weight in eggs to get a lousy t-shirt. Your senses were overwhelmed as each plate was unveiled. Your stomach growled as you stared down mountains of food, some familiar, some not. You recognized the Earth food, the classic breakfast staples. The thing that worried you most was the more alien cuisine. Piles of light blue tentacles, purple bugs the size of your palm, a giant creature with more eyes than skin. You poked one eye with your fork, which only had two pointed edges, and it squirted a pink substance on the table. You tried your best to ignore how the eyes seemed to follow you around and focused on the food you recognized.
A few moments passed before he finally spoke. “You will be my ward.” He watched as you scarfed down the food that was in reach. You had forgotten just how hungry you were after all that had happened. He grimaced as he continued talking, “I will study you as a human. You will stay out of official business and follow every instruction given to you. You will be given access to only specific areas of the ship, but know this, I will not hesitate to kill you if I find you where you do not belong.”
You froze after the threat, a forkful of some alien substance that tasted like a savory pancake halfway to your mouth. It was less of a threat and more of a promise. You swallowed what was left in your mouth and stared at him. His eyes proved he wasn’t lying. The dark irises bore into your own.
“Understood?” You nodded manically, hopefully getting it across that you did. There was a beeping sound that came from his wrist as he stood up and floated away, his plate still left untouched. “That is all.”