Page 61 of Infala: The Alien's Bond
“You made it down in one piece, obviously.”
“Obviously. We hit hard, though. The ship busted open and there was a small fire, but the important thing was we were free. At least, we were for about three hours before these assholes came and grabbed us.”
“Were there others?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Do you know where they are? We’ve been trying to find other survivors.”
“No idea. People took off running when we hit the ground. The ones who were able to, anyway. Amazing what motivation can do to numb pain.”
“They ran but were hurt?”
“Listen, the Raxxians who were in our section of the ship when it crashed were dazed, but that wouldn’t last for long. So a bunch just ran. The guards came to quick enough and chased after them. They left one behind to watch over us, but then we jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire when this whole new set of asshole aliens came along.”
“What did the Raxxians do?”
“The one guarding us died almost immediately. We heard shots in the distance so there must have been a fight. So far as I can tell, the Raxxians were outnumbered and outgunned so they retreated. The rest of us were taken prisoner and marched here.”
“Where are the others now?”
“A couple of men were killed when they tried to overpower one of the guards. Idiots. The rest of us wound up here. They stripped us and separated us. I was put here, along with Garalla, Fetza, and Nivonk,” she said, gesturing to three of the alien women. “They were on the ship with us too.”
The three looked up from their bathing and nodded an exhausted greeting, then continued their bath.
“They wound up in the same compartment as me during the chaos right before we crashed. What happened to the others, I don’t know.” Shalia sized up Darla with a curious look. “You’re clean.”
“Relatively speaking.”
“What happened to you?”
“A native tribe took me in. They’re good people. They provided shelter and food without hesitation. They live a pretty off-grid life, though. No tech to speak of.”
Shalia nodded, sizing up their group’s newest member for a second time since her abduction by the Raxxians.
“You have ink now,” she noted. “Doesn’t even look like it’s peeling.”
“Oh, yeah. That. The pigments they use here are from some kind of special plants that are connected to the power from the sun. It’s like what the Raxxians put behind all of our ears on the ship, but much stronger.”
“Seems you have alotof them now.”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“And these natives did this to you?”
“Actually, you remember the guy in our cell? The alien?”
“You mean the big one who didn’t talk much?”
“Yeah, he’s the one who applied the pigment. Apparently, his skills are far more than just inking translation runes for the Raxxians. I’ve got runes all over now. It’s really kind of amazing how this all works.”
“How so?”
“Well, for starters, I’m stronger now. Don’t get tired as easily. My sense of sight has actually gotten better. Who knows what else it’s enhancing?”
“Obviously not your hearing or you wouldn’t have been captured.”
“Touché. That bit sucks, for sure. And these Dohrags are serious assholes. But you’ve been with them a while, right? What’ve you learned about them? It looks like they’ve got you farming.”
